Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Left atrial appendage pericardial fluid: contrast-enhanced transesophageal echocardiography makes it visible
V Kamperidis1, E Michou1, K Kouskouras2
11 Cardiology Department, AHEPA Hospital, Medical Faculty, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Background:
Contrast-enhanced transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for the opacification of left atrial appendage (LAA) is not clearly suggested by the current guidelines and only scarce data are available.
Case Presentation:
A patient with a membrane-like structure in the LAA cavity is presented. Contrast-enhanced TEE revealed LAA pericardial effusion and this diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac magnetic resonance that offered comparable images and tissue characterization.
Conclusion:
Contrast-enhanced TEE has been demonstrated to safely and accurately enlighten LAA anatomy. Hippokratia 2016, 20(3): 235-237.
