title: Intracardiac echocardiography during simulated aortic and mitral balloon valvuloplasty: in vivo experimental studies.
abstract: The feasibility of intracardiac echocardiography with a low-frequency transducer to assess catheter position and detect complications during experimental aortic and mitral balloon valvuloplasty was studied in 10 dogs. Intracardiac echocardiography was performed with a transesophageal echocardiographic probe placed in the right atrium. In all instances high-quality images of cardiac structures were obtained. The guide wire and balloon catheter were clearly seen as they crossed the valves. With inflation the balloon was seen as a hyperechoic structure. Doppler echocardiography documented aortic regurgitation after inflations. Acute pericardial effusion was instantly detected. It is concluded that intracardiac echocardiography is a potentially useful technique for cardiac imaging, assessing wire and balloon catheter position, evaluating valvular regurgitation, and instantly detecting acute pericardial effusion. Further research in humans with low-frequency, catheter-based transducers needs to be performed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center Hospitals, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Pandian
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kusay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aronovitz
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Konstam
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Salem
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001021:Aortic Valve; D002404:Catheterization; D004285:Dogs; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006325:Heart Atria; D008943:Mitral Valve; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015642:Radiology, Interventional; D014159:Transducers