Step-by-step recommendations utilizing four-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography in left atrial appendage...

Four-dimensional (4D) intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is a novel cardiac imaging modality that has been applied to various workflows, including catheter ablation, tricuspid valve repair, and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO). The use of this type of advanced ICE imaging may ultimately allow for the replacement of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for LAAO, providing comparable imaging quality while eliminating the need for general anesthesia.

Based on our initial clinical experience with 4D ICE in LAAO, we have developed an optimized workflow for the use of the NUVISION™ 4D ICE Catheter in conjunction with the GE E95 and S70N Ultrasound Systems in LAAO. In this manuscript, we provide a step-by-step guide to using 4D ICE in conjunction with compatible imaging consoles. We have also evaluated the performance of 4D ICE with the NUVISION Ultrasound Catheter versus TEE in one LAAO case and present those results here.

In our comparison of 4D ICE using our optimized workflow with TEE in an LAAO case, ICE LAA measurements were similar to those from TEE. The best image resolution was seen via ICE in 2-dimensional and multislice modes (triplane and biplane). The FlexiSlice multiplanar reconstruction tool, which creates an en-face image derived from a 4D volume set, also provided valuable information but yielded slightly lower image quality, as expected for these volume-derived images. For this case, comparable images were obtained with TEE and ICE but with less need to reposition the ICE catheter.

The use of optimized 4D ICE catheter workflow recommendations allows for efficient LAAO procedures, with higher resolution imaging, comparable to TEE.