The mitral valve: characterisation by real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. Current status.

The complex anatomy of mitral valve demands precise and sophisticated imaging during any intervention .Transesophageal echocardiography has been the most frequently used modality. With the advent of three-dimensional echocardiography a more comprehensive description of the mitral valve is now possible. This review aims to discuss the framework for imaging the mitral valve by three-dimensional echocardiography; its current status and the limitations of three-dimensional echocardiography in its current platform.