Transcatheter atrial septal defect closure guided by colour flow Doppler

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Devices
• Echocardiography

Background:

• Balloon sizing is the standard for atrial septal defect (ASD) closure device selection.
• Overestimation via balloon sizing can lead to complications like atrial wall erosion.
• Long-term effects of oversized defects remain unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of maximum colour flow diameter (CFDmax) in guiding ASD transcatheter closure.
• To compare CFDmax with the traditional balloon sizing method.
• To assess the impact on complication rates and procedure efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective and prospective analysis of 115 ASD closure cases.
• Three periods: balloon sizing only, balloon sizing with CFDmax, and CFDmax only.
• Patients were categorized into period A (balloon sizing), period B (balloon sizing + CFDmax), and period C (CFDmax).

Main Results:

• Device oversizing decreased from 38% to 31% with CFDmax use.
• Complication rates significantly reduced from 14% to 2% (p=0.03).
• Procedure and screening times decreased substantially (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Sole reliance on CFDmax for ASD transcatheter closure is feasible and safe.
• CFDmax guidance leads to reduced procedure times.
• This method maintains a low complication rate in ASD closure.