title: A Guide to Transseptal Access.
abstract: Transseptal access is commonly performed for any procedure that requires access to the left side of the heart such as catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, left atrial tachycardia, left-sided accessory pathways, ventricular tachycardia, left atrial appendage closure, percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty, and mitral valve repair. To perform this in a safe and effective manner it is important that the operator has a detailed knowledge of the relevant anatomy, the technique required, and the ability to deal with difficult cases and complications. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed description of the anatomy, techniques, potential complications, and difficulties associated with performing this procedure.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Electrophysiology, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Enes E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Electrophysiology, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baranchuk
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Electrophysiology, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: gloverb@kgh.kari.net.
authors.forename: Benedict M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Glover
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000601:surgery*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D006346:Heart Septum / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic