scholarly journals Cardiac Computed Tomography versus 3D-Transesophageal Echocardiography in Preprocedural Planning of Left Atrial Appendage Closure

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (06) ◽  
pp. 01-09
Author(s):  
Heyder Omran
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Cardiac Computed Tomography ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Renal Diseases ◽  
3D Transesophageal Echocardiography

Aim: Preprocedural imaging of the left atrial appendage (LAA) plays a crucial role in the process of LAA closure (LAAC). This study aimed to compare the influence of preprocedural planning of the LAAC with 3D-transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and cardiac computed tomography (CCT) versus 3D-TEE alone in patients who underwent LAAC with an Amplatzer Cardiac Plug or Amulet. Materials and Methods: In a retrospective study, 176 patients received a preprocedural 3D-TEE and CCT and 167 patients a 3D-TEE only. Both groups had similar patient characteristics and indications for LAAC. Results: There was no difference in terms of procedural success, procedure time, amount of contrast medium, fluoroscopy time, or radiation dose. Patients with CCT/3D-TEE had a longer hospital stay on average. Besides, there was a different incidence of renal diseases (49% for 3D-TEE versus 27% for CCT/3D-TEE; p < 0.001). The number of periprocedural adverse events was comparable. A device-related thrombus occurred three times in each group, and the peri-device leaks reported were similar. Conclusion: A preprocedural CCT does not decrease major adverse events or improve outcome in patients undergoing LAAC.

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.

Intraprocedural Hybrid Cardiac Computed Tomography for Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 1852-1853
Author(s):  
Mahdi Veillet-Chowdhury ◽  
Stewart M. Benton ◽  
C. Anwar A. Chahal ◽  
James E. Harvey ◽  
Paul Tolerico ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Cardiac Computed Tomography ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion

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 Predicting Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus from Left Atrial Volume and Confirmation by Computed Tomography with Delayed Enhancement

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-85
Author(s):  
Kazuhiro Osawa ◽  
Rine Nakanishi ◽  
Indre Ceponiene ◽  
Negin Nezarat ◽  
William J. French ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Cardiac Computed Tomography ◽  
Left Atrial Volume ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Volume Index ◽  
Atrial Volume ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus

Assessing thromboembolic risk is crucial for proper management of patients with atrial fibrillation. Left atrial volume is a promising predictor of cardiac thrombosis. To determine whether left atrial volume can predict left atrial appendage thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation, we conducted a prospective study of 73 patients. Left atrial and ventricular volumes were evaluated by cardiac computed tomography with retrospective electrocardiographic gating and then indexed to body surface area. Left atrial appendage thrombus was confirmed or excluded by cardiac computed tomography with delayed enhancement. Seven patients (9.6%) had left atrial appendage thrombus; 66 (90.4%) did not. Those with thrombus had a significantly higher mean left atrial end-systolic volume index (139 ± 55 vs 101 ± 35 mL/m2; P =0.0097) and mean left atrial end-diastolic volume index (122 ± 45 vs 84 ± 34 mL/m2; P =0.0077). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, left atrial end-systolic volume index (per 10 mL/m2 increase) was significantly associated with left atrial appendage thrombus (odds ratio [OR]=1.24; 95% CI, 1.03–1.50; P =0.02); so too was the left atrial end-diastolic volume index (per 10 mL/m2 increase) (OR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.05–1.60; P =0.02). These findings suggest that increased left atrial volume increases the risk of left atrial appendage thrombus. Therefore, patients with atrial fibrillation and an enlarged left atrium should be considered for cardiac computed tomography with delayed enhancement to confirm whether thrombus is present.

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