Three-dimensional echocardiography of the right atrial embryonic remnants

Three-dimensional (3-D) transesophageal echocardiography had a better anatomic and functional correlation with matched embryonic remnant specimens of the right sinus valve (i.e., crista terminalis, Eustachian valve, Thebesian valve, and cor triatriatum dexter) than with the corresponding 2-D images alone. When the 3-D images were played in real time, there was a better spatial appreciation of the surrounding structures, providing a more "realistic" conceptualization of the cardiac anatomy, particularly with structures located at different tomographic planes.