Transözefajial ekokardiyografi (TÖE) ile torasik aortada saptanan plağın, koroner arter hastalığının (KAH) belirlenmesinde değerini araştırmak için 31 hastanın klinik, ahjiografik ve transözefajial ekokardiyografik bulguları retrospektif olarak incelendi. 17 hastada KAH vardı. Bu grupta, intimal -medial kalınlık (İMK) 5.46+1.5 mm iken, koronerleri normal olan ya da önemli bir darlığı bulunmayan hastalardan oluşan grupta ise İMK 2.25±1.3 mm idi (p

Clinical, angiographic and transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) findings of 31 patients has been analysed for the as¬sessment of the predictive value of atheromatous plaques of thoracic aorta in TEE for the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the same patient. CAD was detected in 17 patients. In this group intimal-medial thickness (IMT) was found to be 5.46±1.5 mm while the IMT of the group with normal or nonsignificant CAD was 2.25±1.3 mm (p<0.01). There were atheromatous plaques in 13 patients with CAD, meanwhile no plaques were observed in the other group. In the presence of more than 5 mm IMT in TEE, the specifity and sensitivity for CAD was 100 % and 76.4 % respectively. By the virtue of these findings a meaningful correlation was found between CAD and aortic atheromatous plaques and IMT. In conclusion this study suggests that TEE can be a useful noninvasive tool for the prediction CAD by the detection of atheromatous plaques and measurement of IMT.