What is another name for 2D (two-dimensional) echo (echocardiogram)?

Another Name for 2D Echo

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is another name for 2D echo or two-dimensional echocardiography. 1

Understanding 2D Echocardiography

2D echocardiography, commonly referred to as transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), is a first-line imaging examination that provides:

• Real-time evaluation of the anatomic and hemodynamic relationships of intracardiac lesions 1
• Tomographic images of the heart from various acoustic windows 1
• Assessment of cardiac structures including chambers, valves, and blood flow 1

Features and Benefits of TTE (2D Echo)

TTE offers several advantages as a diagnostic tool:

• Widely available, reproducible, safe, and painless examination 1
• Provides unique 2D, real-time evaluation of cardiac structures 1
• Can be enhanced with color flow Doppler to evaluate blood flow across valves and defects 1
• Allows assessment of valve function and estimation of ventricular pressures 1
• Can be performed without the need for sedation in most patients 1

Technical Aspects

The 2D echo (TTE) technique involves:

• Use of a transducer placed on the chest wall to obtain tomographic slices of the heart 1
• Creation of 2D tomographic images in a cine loop format 1
• Ability to cut cardiac chambers in longitudinal or transverse planes (long-axis or short-axis views) 1
• Multiple slicing methods including arbitrary plane, orthogonal slices, and parallel slice planes 1

Limitations of 2D Echo (TTE)

Despite its utility, TTE has some limitations:

• Limited by a field of view of 90° and the need for the examiner to assimilate tomographic slices 1
• May have difficulty providing high-quality images in some adult patients with poor acoustic windows 1
• Imaging of great vessels can be difficult, especially in adults 1
• Subject to intraobserver variability in examination reproducibility 1

Relationship to Other Echo Modalities

2D echo (TTE) is related to but distinct from:

• Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) - an invasive examination that provides better visualization of certain cardiac structures 1
• 3D echocardiography - an advanced technique that provides volumetric data without geometric assumptions 1
• M-mode echocardiography - a one-dimensional view showing motion of cardiac structures over time 1

Clinical Applications

TTE (2D echo) is used for:

• Assessment of cardiac chamber size and function 1
• Evaluation of valvular heart disease 1
• Detection and assessment of congenital heart defects 1
• Monitoring of disease progression and treatment response 1
• Guidance for interventional procedures 1