Evaluation of the abdominal aorta and the renal arteries with an intracardiac echocardiography probe placed in the inferior vena cava: a feasibility study.
BACKGROUND
Ultrasound evaluation of the abdominal aorta and its branches is usually performed transabdominally. Not infrequently, the image quality is suboptimal. Recently, an intracardiac echocardiography probe has become commercially available. These probes are usually inserted intravenously and advanced to the right heart for diagnostic and monitoring purposes during procedures such as atrial septal defect closure and pulmonary vein isolation. Because of the close anatomic relation between the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava, we hypothesized that these probes would be useful in the evaluation of the abdominal aorta and the renal arteries.


METHODS
Sixteen patients with normal renal function and no history of hypertension who were undergoing a pulmonary vein isolation procedure or atrial septal defect closure were studied. In each patient, the intracardiac echocardiography probe was inserted in the femoral vein and advanced to the right atrium for the evaluation of the left atrium and the pulmonary veins during the procedure. At the end of the therapeutic procedure, the probe was withdrawn into the inferior vena cava for the evaluation of the aorta and renal arteries.


RESULTS
High-resolution images of the abdominal aorta from the diaphragm to its bifurcation were easily obtained in all patients. These images allowed for the evaluation of arterial size, shape, and blood flow. Both renal arteries were easily visualized in each patient. With the probe in the inferior vena cava, both renal arteries were parallel to the imaging plane and, therefore, accurate measurement of renal blood flow velocity and individual renal blood flow were measured.
Kronzon
Itzhak
I
Echocardiography Laboratory, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA. Itzhak.Kronzon@med.nyu.edu
Chen
Carol
C
Chinitz
Larry A
LA
Bernstein
Neil E
NE
Slater
James N
JN
Varkey
Mathew
M
Tunick
Paul A
PA
D000328:Adult; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D019160:Endosonography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery