Morphologic Assessment of the Left Atrial Appendage in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation by Gray Values–Inverted Volume-Rendered Imaging of Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography: A Comparative Study with Computed Tomography

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1100-1108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongning Song ◽  
Qing Zhou ◽  
Qing Deng ◽  
Jinling Chen ◽  
Lan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Gray Values

scholarly journals Accuracy of Commonly-Used Imaging Modalities in Assessing Left Atrial Appendage for Interventional Closure: Review Article

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramez Morcos ◽  
Haider Al Taii ◽  
Priya Bansal ◽  
Joel Casale ◽  
Rupesh Manam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Imaging Modality ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Imaging Modalities ◽  
Three Dimensional Printing ◽  
Dimensional Printing

Periprocedural imaging assessment for percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) transcatheter occlusion can be obtained by utilizing different imaging modalities including fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound imaging. Given the complex and variable morphology of the left atrial appendage, it is crucial to obtain the most accurate LAA dimensions to prevent intra-procedural device changes, recapture maneuvers, and prolonged procedure time. We therefore sought to examine the accuracy of the most commonly utilized imaging modalities in LAA occlusion. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was waived as we only reviewed published data. By utilizing PUBMED which is an integrated online website to list the published literature based on its relevance, we retrieved thirty-two articles on the accuracy of most commonly used imaging modalities for pre-procedural assessment of the left atrial appendage morphology, namely, two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography, three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography, computed tomography, and three-dimensional printing. There is strong evidence that real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography is more accurate than two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. Three-dimensional computed tomography has recently emerged as an imaging modality and it showed exceptional accuracy when merged with three-dimensional printing technology. However, real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography may be considered the preferred imaging modality as it can provide accurate measurements without requiring radiation exposure or contrast administration. We will present the most common imaging modality used for LAA assessment and will provide an algorithmic approach including preprocedural, periprocedural, intraprocedural, and postprocedural.

scholarly journals Transition from Transesophageal Echocardiography to Cardiac Computed Tomography for the Evaluation of Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus Prior to Atrial Fibrillation Ablation and Incidence of Cerebrovascular Events During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tauseef Akhtar ◽  
Ryan Wallace ◽  
Usama Daimee ◽  
Erica Hart ◽  
Armin Arbab-Zadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Cardiac Computed Tomography ◽  
Ct Imaging ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Af Ablation ◽  
Cerebrovascular Events

Background Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is variably performed before atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation to evaluate left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus. We describe our experience with transitioning to the pre-ablation cardiac computed tomography (CT) approach for the assessment of LAA thrombus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We studied consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation at our center. The study cohort was divided into pre- vs. post-COVID groups. The pre-COVID cohort included ablations performed during 1 year before the COVID-19 pandemic; pre-ablation TEE was used routinely to evaluate LAA thrombus in high-risk patients. Post-COVID cohort included ablations performed during the 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic; pre-ablation CT was performed in all patients, with TEE performed only in patients with LAA thrombus by CT imaging. The demographics, clinical history, imaging, and ablation characteristics, and peri-procedural cerebrovascular events (CVE) were recorded. Results A total of 637 patients (pre-COVID n=424, post-COVID n=213) were studied. The mean age was 65.6  10.1 years in the total cohort, and the majority were men. There was a significant increase in pre-ablation CT imaging from pre to post-COVID cohort (74.8 vs. 93.9%, p=<0.01), with a significant reduction in TEEs (34.6 vs. 3.7%, p=<0.01). One patient in the post-COVID cohort developed CVE following negative pre-ablation CT. However, the incidence of peri-procedural CVE between both cohorts remained statistically unchanged (0 vs. 0.4%, p=0.33). Conclusion Implementation of pre ablation CT-only imaging strategy with selective use of TEE for LAA thrombus evaluation is not associated with increased CVE risk during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

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