title: Initial clinical experience using the EchoNavigator(®)-system during structural heart disease interventions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present our initial clinical experience using this innovative software solution for guidance of percutaneous structural heart disease interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Left atrial appendage, atrial septal defect and paravalvular leak closure, transaortic valve repair and MitraClip(®) procedures were performed in the catheter laboratory under fluoroscopic and echocardiographic guidance. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional images generated by the transesophageal echocardiography probe were interfaced with the fluoroscopic images in real-time using the EchoNavigator(®)-system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The application of the novel image fusion technology was safe and led to a better appreciation of multimodality imaging guidance due to improved visualization of the complex relationship between catheter devices and anatomical structures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EchoNavigator(®)-system is a feasible and safe tool for guidance of interventional procedures in structural heart disease. This innovative technology may improve confidence of interventional cardiologists in targeting and positioning interventional devices in order to increase safety, accuracy, and efficacy of percutaneous interventions in the catheter laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Balzer
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zeus
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hellhammer
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Veulemans
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eschenhagen
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kehmeier
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Tienush
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rassaf
authors.affiliation: Jan Balzer, Tobias Zeus, Katharina Hellhammer, Verena Veulemans, Silke Eschenhagen, Eva Kehmeier, Christian Meyer, Tienush Rassaf, Malte Kelm, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Malte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelm
keywords: Echocardiography; Fusion imaging; Interventional guidance; Percutaneous interventions; Structural heart disease