A new heart-imaging procedure at the Cayman Islands Hospital is helping improve the precision of cardiac examinations, according to the Health Services Authority.
The procedure, known as transesophageal echocardiography, or TEE, enables the production of very detailed images of the heart, revealing “minute pathologies often overlooked” by traditional heart ultrasounds.
According to a statement by the Health Services Authority, one of the first patients to undergo TEE at the hospital was 78-year-old Galdie Facey, who had a prosthetic heart valve, which a traditional echocardiography showed was leaking. However, the precise amount of leaking could not be ascertained, so it was recommended that a TEE be used.
“Unlike conventional echocardiography, TEE involves the insertion of a specialized probe into the oesophagus, positioning it near the heart,” the HSA explained in a statement. “This slightly invasive procedure employs a small ultrasound transducer within the TEE probe, emitting sound waves and capturing echoes reflected from the heart.
“These echoes are then transformed into highly detailed images, offering a closer look at the heart’s chambers, valves, and blood vessels.”
Through the TEE, cardiologist Dr. Brian Noronha was able to establish the precise quantity of leaking and the location of the leak in Facey’s heart valve.
“I had never heard about the procedure before, but the staff at HSA made me feel at ease. They explained the process in detail, and after the procedure, Dr. Noronha showed me electronic images of the findings. This immediate feedback was comforting and put my mind at ease right away,” Facey said in the statement.
Noronha has performed more than 500 successful TEE procedures throughout his career at various hospitals in the UK, including Medway Maritime Hospital and Warrington Hospital. Since introducing TEE at the Cayman Islands Hospital, he has performed five procedures.
He emphasised the importance of TEE in cases where traditional echocardiography may be challenging or insufficient.
“Transesophageal echocardiography is a remarkable advancement in cardiac imaging, allowing us to obtain clearer and more precise information about the heart,” he said. “It is particularly beneficial in assessing heart valve function, identifying blood clots, and evaluating overall heart function in conditions such as congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, aneurysm, endocarditis, congenital heart disease and assessment of idiopathic stroke.”
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