Use of Intracardiac Echocardiography for Congenital and Structural Heart Disease Interventions

Abstract

Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) has been commonly utilized for intraprocedural monitoring during structural heart interventions, and AcuNav is the most widely used device. Its imaging quality has been dramatically improved with the addition of a phasedarray system in recent years, and it has been used as an alternative to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), especially in cases of atrial septal defect and patent fossa ovale closure. One advantage of ICE over TEE is that it does not require general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, which means it is less invasive procedure. However, its application during other structural interventions remains in an early stage due to technologic limitations. Multiplanar imaging and wide-sector three-dimensional imaging are required to improve its utility.