Transözefageal Ekokardiyografide Artefakt İnsidansı ve Etiyolojisi.

Objectives: Artifacts encountered during perioperative TEE may lead to misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis, which may ultimately result in wrong treatment and surgical referral. In our study, we aimed to investigate the incidence, type, and etiology of artifacts encountered during perioperative TEE imaging. Methods: TEE images that were acquired during cardiovascular surgeries are retrieved from the echocardiography machine archives and evaluated. The type and factors leading to artifacts in the images are recorded. Results: The images of 86 patients (male n:50 and female n:36) were evaluated. A total of 858 windows, of which 94 were stable and 764 were immobile, were evaluated. The artifacts were present in 159 (19%) of the images. The most prominent artifact was acoustic shadowing (p<0.05). The incidence of linear artifact and comet-tail artifact was statistically significantly high as compared to other artifacts. The etiologic factors leading to acoustic shadowing were revealed as annulus and rings in 28 cases (64%), calcifications in 9 cases (20%), and catheters in 7 cases (16%). The incidence of artifacts caused by annulus and rings was statistically significantly high (p<0.05). Comet tail artifact was present in 30 cases (19%) and aortic plaque, air bubbles, and prostatic valves (66%, 17%, and 17%, respectively) were the leading etiologic factors in its formation (p<0.05). Conclusion: Approximately one-fifth of the TEE images that we examined contained artifacts. Acoustic shadowing, linear artifact, and comet tail appearance were the most frequently observed artifacts. Etiological factors were often foreign materials in the heart and calcifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]