Intracardiac echocardiography for percutaneous patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect occlusion.

BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) plays a unique role in transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO). However, problems such as the need for general anesthesia, possible trauma from endotracheal intubation, presence of "blind spots," and occasional inadequate imaging of some cardiac structures have necessitated better imaging techniques. Our study aimed to compare the findings of TEE during the initial diagnostic examination with those from intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) acquired during the interventional procedure.

METHODS: A total of 65 patients in whom TEE was used for the diagnosis of ASD or PFO were included. Of these, 40 patients (61.5%) had ASD with significant left to right shunt and 25 (38.5%) patients had PFO associated with transient ischemic attack or stroke. ICE imaging was performed under local anesthesia in all patients to guide interatrial communication closure.

RESULTS: ICE provided adequate views of the defects and surrounding structures during the various stages of device deployment. In eight patients (12.3%) an additional anatomical variation was detected. All patients had successful device implantation and were discharged 1 day after the procedure.

CONCLUSION: ICE is a safe and high-quality imaging technique for guiding transcatheter ASD and PFO occlusion. Additionally, ICE can both facilitate device implantation and detect cardiac abnormalities that are not identified with TEE during the initial diagnostic investigation.