title: Assessment of atrial septal defects in adults comparing cardiovascular magnetic resonance with transoesophageal echocardiography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many adult patients with secundum-type atrial septal defects (ASDs) are able to have these defects fixed percutaneously. Traditionally, this has involved an assessment of ASD size, geometry and atrial septal margins by transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) prior to percutaneous closure. This is a semi-invasive technique, and all of the information obtained could potentially be obtained by non-invasive cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). We compared the assessment of ASDs in consecutive patients being considered for percutaneous ASD closure using CMR and TOE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients with ASDs diagnosed on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were invited to undergo both CMR and TOE. Assessment of atrial septal margins, maximal and minimal defect dimensions was performed with both techniques. Analyses between CMR and TOE were made using simple linear regression and Bland Altman Analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total CMR scan time was 20 minutes, and comparable to the TOE examination time. A total of 20 patients (M:F = 5:15, mean age 42.8 years +/- 15.7) were included in the analyses. There was an excellent agreement between CMR and TOE for estimation of maximum defect size (R = 0.87). The anterior inferior, anterior superior and posterior inferior margins could be assessed in all patients with CMR. The posterior superior margin could not be assessed in only one patient. Furthermore, in 1 patient in whom TOE was unable to be performed, CMR was used to successfully direct percutaneous ASD closure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMR agrees with TOE assessment of ASDs in the work-up for percutaneous closure. Potentially CMR could be used instead of TOE for this purpose.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Centre, Royal Adelaide Hospital, The University of Adelaide, South Australia. karen.teo@adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: Karen S L
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Teo
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Disney
authors.forename: Benjamin K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Dundon
authors.forename: Matthew I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Worthley
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Prashanthan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: Stephen G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Worthley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged