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Updated: Oct 10, 2025

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Assessment of Left Ventricular Function and Mitral Regurgitation Severity Early After Percutaneous Device Closure of
Mohammad Sahebjam1, Neda Toofaninejad1, Ali Ajam2,3
1From the Department of Echocardiography, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) does not immediately alter left ventricular (LV) systolic function but increases LV end-diastolic diameter and mitral inflow velocity. The procedure effectively reduces right ventricular pressure without worsening mitral regurgitation early on.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Congenital Heart Disease
Background:
- Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a common congenital heart disease in adults.
- ASD closure normalizes right heart volumes but has variable effects on left ventricular (LV) function and mitral regurgitation (MR).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the immediate impact of percutaneous ASD closure on LV function and MR severity.
- To assess early changes in LV dimensions and diastolic function post-procedure.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 32 patients with ASD secundum undergoing percutaneous device closure.
- Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography performed pre-procedure and 24 hours post-procedure.
- Comparison of LV parameters, including LVEDD, LVESD, LVEF, and MR severity, before and after closure.
Main Results:
- LV end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) significantly increased post-closure (P < 0.001).
- LV ejection fraction (LVEF) remained unchanged; LV end-systolic diameter (LVESD) showed insignificant increase (P = 0.063).
- Right ventricular systolic pressure decreased significantly (12.4%, P < 0.001), and mitral E/E' increased (9.7%, P = 0.010); MR severity change was insignificant (P = 0.157).
Conclusions:
- Percutaneous ASD closure does not acutely impair LV systolic function.
- Immediate increases in LVEDD and E/E' are observed due to altered diastolic filling patterns.
- The procedure positively impacts right ventricular pressure and does not worsen MR early after closure.
Background:
Atrial septal defect (ASD) is one the most prevalent forms of congenital heart disease in adults. Closure of ASDs eliminates left-to-right shunt and reduces right heart volumes, but the effects of ASD closure, on the left ventricle (LV) and mitral valve competence are somewhat inconsistent. Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate the early effect of percutaneous closure of ASD on LV function and mitral regurgitation (MR) severity.
Methods:
In this prospective study, we enrolled 32 patients with ASD secundum who underwent percutaneous device closure in Tehran Heart Center. We used transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before the procedure and TTE 24 hours after the procedure, then compared obtained LV parameters before and after the procedure.
Results:
LV end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) increased significantly from 44.8 ± 2.4 to 45.8 ± 2.8 (P < 0.001). LV end-systolic diameter (LVESD) also increased but was statistically insignificant (P = 0.063) and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) remained nearly unchanged. Highest alteration was in right ventricular systolic pressure (12.4% decrease; P < 0.001) and mitral early Doppler/tissue Doppler velocity ratio (E/E') (9.7% increase; P = 0.010). The change in MR severity was insignificant using Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P = 0.157).
Conclusions:
We concluded that systolic functions do not change immediately. However, LVEDD and E/E' will increase immediately, resulting from the passage of all blood from the LA into the LV in the early diastole just after closure. We also observed the positive effect of device closure on reducing right ventricular systolic pressure, and at least it does not worsen MR early after the procedure.
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