Skip to main content
Top
Published in: BMC Medical Imaging 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Technical advance

- LAA Occluder View for post-implantation Evaluation (LOVE) - standardized imaging proposal evaluating implanted left atrial appendage occlusion devices by cardiac computed tomography

Authors: Michael Behnes, Ibrahim Akin, Benjamin Sartorius, Christian Fastner, Ibrahim El-Battrawy, Martin Borggrefe, Holger Haubenreisser, Mathias Meyer, Stefan O. Schoenberg, Thomas Henzler

Published in: BMC Medical Imaging | Issue 1/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

A standardized imaging proposal evaluating implanted left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion devices by cardiac computed tomography angiography (cCTA) has never been investigated.

Methods

cCTA datasets were acquired on a 3rd generation dual-source CT system and reconstructed with a slice thickness of 0.5 mm. An interdisciplinary evaluation was performed by two interventional cardiologists and one radiologist on a 3D multi-planar workstation. A standardized multi-planar reconstruction algorithm was developed in order to assess relevant clinical aspects of implanted LAA occlusion devices being outlined within a pictorial essay.

Results

The following clinical aspects of implanted LAA occlusion devices were evaluated within the most appropriate cCTA multi-planar reconstruction: (1) topography to neighboring structures, (2) peri-device leaks, (3) coverage of LAA lobes, (4) indirect signs of neo-endothelialization. These are illustrated within concise CT imaging examples emphasizing the potential value of the proposed cCTA imaging algorithm: Starting from anatomical cCTA planes and stepwise angulation planes perpendicular to the base of the LAA devices generates an optimal LAA Occluder View for post-implantation Evaluation (LOVE). Aligned true axial, sagittal and coronal LOVE planes offer a standardized and detailed evaluation of LAA occlusion devices after percutaneous implantation.

Conclusions

This pictorial essay presents a standardized imaging proposal by cCTA using multi-planar reconstructions that enables systematical follow-up and comparison of patients after LAA occlusion device implantation.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
go back to reference Watson T, Shantsila E, Lip GY. Mechanisms of thrombogenesis in atrial fibrillation: Virchow’s triad revisited. Lancet. 2009;373(9658):155–66.CrossRefPubMed Watson T, Shantsila E, Lip GY. Mechanisms of thrombogenesis in atrial fibrillation: Virchow’s triad revisited. Lancet. 2009;373(9658):155–66.CrossRefPubMed
2.
go back to reference Bergmann MW, Landmesser U. Left atrial appendage closure for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation: rationale, devices in clinical development and insights into implantation techniques. EuroIntervention. 2014;10(4):497–504.CrossRefPubMed Bergmann MW, Landmesser U. Left atrial appendage closure for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation: rationale, devices in clinical development and insights into implantation techniques. EuroIntervention. 2014;10(4):497–504.CrossRefPubMed
3.
go back to reference Camm AJ et al. 2012 focused update of the ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation: an update of the 2010 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation. Developed with the special contribution of the European Heart Rhythm Association. Eur Heart J. 2012;33(21):2719–47.CrossRefPubMed Camm AJ et al. 2012 focused update of the ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation: an update of the 2010 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation. Developed with the special contribution of the European Heart Rhythm Association. Eur Heart J. 2012;33(21):2719–47.CrossRefPubMed
4.
go back to reference Alli O et al. Quality of life assessment in the randomized PROTECT AF (Percutaneous Closure of the Left Atrial Appendage Versus Warfarin Therapy for Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) trial of patients at risk for stroke with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;61(17):1790–8.CrossRefPubMed Alli O et al. Quality of life assessment in the randomized PROTECT AF (Percutaneous Closure of the Left Atrial Appendage Versus Warfarin Therapy for Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) trial of patients at risk for stroke with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;61(17):1790–8.CrossRefPubMed
5.
go back to reference Bayard YL et al. PLAATO (Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Transcatheter Occlusion) for prevention of cardioembolic stroke in non-anticoagulation eligible atrial fibrillation patients: results from the European PLAATO study. EuroIntervention. 2010;6(2):220–6.CrossRefPubMed Bayard YL et al. PLAATO (Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Transcatheter Occlusion) for prevention of cardioembolic stroke in non-anticoagulation eligible atrial fibrillation patients: results from the European PLAATO study. EuroIntervention. 2010;6(2):220–6.CrossRefPubMed
6.
go back to reference Nietlispach F et al. Amplatzer left atrial appendage occlusion: single center 10-year experience. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2013;82(2):283–9.CrossRefPubMed Nietlispach F et al. Amplatzer left atrial appendage occlusion: single center 10-year experience. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2013;82(2):283–9.CrossRefPubMed
7.
go back to reference Reddy VY et al. Left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman device in patients with a contraindication for oral anticoagulation: the ASAP study (ASA Plavix Feasibility Study With Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure Technology). J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;61(25):2551–6.CrossRefPubMed Reddy VY et al. Left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman device in patients with a contraindication for oral anticoagulation: the ASAP study (ASA Plavix Feasibility Study With Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure Technology). J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;61(25):2551–6.CrossRefPubMed
8.
go back to reference Urena M et al. Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure with the AMPLATZER cardiac plug device in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and contraindications to anticoagulation therapy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;62(2):96–102.CrossRefPubMed Urena M et al. Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure with the AMPLATZER cardiac plug device in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and contraindications to anticoagulation therapy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;62(2):96–102.CrossRefPubMed
9.
go back to reference Wiebe J, et al. Safety of percutaneous left atrial appendage closure with the amplatzer cardiac plug in patients with atrial fibrillation and contraindications to anticoagulation. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2014;83(5):796–802.CrossRefPubMed Wiebe J, et al. Safety of percutaneous left atrial appendage closure with the amplatzer cardiac plug in patients with atrial fibrillation and contraindications to anticoagulation. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2014;83(5):796–802.CrossRefPubMed
10.
go back to reference Holmes Jr DR et al. Prospective randomized evaluation of the Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure device in patients with atrial fibrillation versus long-term warfarin therapy: the PREVAIL trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;64(1):1–12.CrossRefPubMed Holmes Jr DR et al. Prospective randomized evaluation of the Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure device in patients with atrial fibrillation versus long-term warfarin therapy: the PREVAIL trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;64(1):1–12.CrossRefPubMed
11.
go back to reference Anselmino M et al. Left atrial appendage morphology and silent cerebral ischemia in patients with atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm. 2014;11(1):2–7.CrossRefPubMed Anselmino M et al. Left atrial appendage morphology and silent cerebral ischemia in patients with atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm. 2014;11(1):2–7.CrossRefPubMed
12.
go back to reference Di Biase L et al. Does the left atrial appendage morphology correlate with the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation? Results from a multicenter study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;60(6):531–8.CrossRefPubMed Di Biase L et al. Does the left atrial appendage morphology correlate with the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation? Results from a multicenter study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;60(6):531–8.CrossRefPubMed
13.
go back to reference Laura DM et al. The role of multimodality imaging in percutaneous left atrial appendage suture ligation with the LARIAT device. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2014;27(7):699–708.CrossRefPubMed Laura DM et al. The role of multimodality imaging in percutaneous left atrial appendage suture ligation with the LARIAT device. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2014;27(7):699–708.CrossRefPubMed
14.
go back to reference Lopez-Minguez JR, et al. Anatomical Classification of Left Atrial Appendages in Specimens Applicable to CT Imaging Techniques for Implantation of Amplatzer Cardiac Plug. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2014;25(9):976–84.CrossRefPubMed Lopez-Minguez JR, et al. Anatomical Classification of Left Atrial Appendages in Specimens Applicable to CT Imaging Techniques for Implantation of Amplatzer Cardiac Plug. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2014;25(9):976–84.CrossRefPubMed
15.
go back to reference Holmes DR et al. Percutaneous closure of the left atrial appendage versus warfarin therapy for prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation: a randomised non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2009;374(9689):534–42.CrossRefPubMed Holmes DR et al. Percutaneous closure of the left atrial appendage versus warfarin therapy for prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation: a randomised non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2009;374(9689):534–42.CrossRefPubMed
16.
go back to reference Reddy VY et al. Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure for stroke prophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation: 2.3-Year Follow-up of the PROTECT AF (Watchman Left Atrial Appendage System for Embolic Protection in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) Trial. Circulation. 2013;127(6):720–9.CrossRefPubMed Reddy VY et al. Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure for stroke prophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation: 2.3-Year Follow-up of the PROTECT AF (Watchman Left Atrial Appendage System for Embolic Protection in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) Trial. Circulation. 2013;127(6):720–9.CrossRefPubMed
17.
go back to reference Viles-Gonzalez JF et al. The clinical impact of incomplete left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman Device in patients with atrial fibrillation: a PROTECT AF (Percutaneous Closure of the Left Atrial Appendage Versus Warfarin Therapy for Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) substudy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;59(10):923–9.CrossRefPubMed Viles-Gonzalez JF et al. The clinical impact of incomplete left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman Device in patients with atrial fibrillation: a PROTECT AF (Percutaneous Closure of the Left Atrial Appendage Versus Warfarin Therapy for Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) substudy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;59(10):923–9.CrossRefPubMed
18.
go back to reference Viles-Gonzalez JF et al. Incomplete occlusion of the left atrial appendage with the percutaneous left atrial appendage transcatheter occlusion device is not associated with increased risk of stroke. J Interv Card Electrophysiol. 2012;33(1):69–75.CrossRefPubMed Viles-Gonzalez JF et al. Incomplete occlusion of the left atrial appendage with the percutaneous left atrial appendage transcatheter occlusion device is not associated with increased risk of stroke. J Interv Card Electrophysiol. 2012;33(1):69–75.CrossRefPubMed
19.
go back to reference Anter E, et al. Comparison of intracardiac echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography for imaging of the right and left atrial appendages. Heart Rhythm. 2014. Anter E, et al. Comparison of intracardiac echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography for imaging of the right and left atrial appendages. Heart Rhythm. 2014.
20.
go back to reference Kar S et al. Impact of Watchman and Amplatzer Devices on Left Atrial Appendage Adjacent Structures and Healing Response in a Canine Model. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2014;7(7):801–9.CrossRefPubMed Kar S et al. Impact of Watchman and Amplatzer Devices on Left Atrial Appendage Adjacent Structures and Healing Response in a Canine Model. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2014;7(7):801–9.CrossRefPubMed
21.
go back to reference Mahesh M, Cody DD. Physics of cardiac imaging with multiple-row detector CT. Radiographics. 2007;27(5):1495–509.CrossRefPubMed Mahesh M, Cody DD. Physics of cardiac imaging with multiple-row detector CT. Radiographics. 2007;27(5):1495–509.CrossRefPubMed
22.
go back to reference Schoepf UJ et al. CT coronary angiography: indications, image acquisition, and interpretation. Radiologia. 2008;50(2):113–30.CrossRefPubMed Schoepf UJ et al. CT coronary angiography: indications, image acquisition, and interpretation. Radiologia. 2008;50(2):113–30.CrossRefPubMed
23.
go back to reference Weininger M et al. Cardiothoracic CT angiography: current contrast medium delivery strategies. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2011;196(3):W260–72.CrossRefPubMed Weininger M et al. Cardiothoracic CT angiography: current contrast medium delivery strategies. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2011;196(3):W260–72.CrossRefPubMed
24.
go back to reference Xu L, Zhang Z. Coronary CT angiography with low radiation dose. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2010;26 Suppl 1:17–25.CrossRefPubMed Xu L, Zhang Z. Coronary CT angiography with low radiation dose. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2010;26 Suppl 1:17–25.CrossRefPubMed
25.
go back to reference Henzler T et al. Practical strategies for low radiation dose cardiac computed tomography. J Thorac Imaging. 2010;25(3):213–20.CrossRefPubMed Henzler T et al. Practical strategies for low radiation dose cardiac computed tomography. J Thorac Imaging. 2010;25(3):213–20.CrossRefPubMed
26.
go back to reference Ebersberger U et al. CT evaluation of coronary artery stents with iterative image reconstruction: improvements in image quality and potential for radiation dose reduction. Eur Radiol. 2013;23(1):125–32.CrossRefPubMed Ebersberger U et al. CT evaluation of coronary artery stents with iterative image reconstruction: improvements in image quality and potential for radiation dose reduction. Eur Radiol. 2013;23(1):125–32.CrossRefPubMed
27.
go back to reference Moscariello A et al. Coronary CT angiography: image quality, diagnostic accuracy, and potential for radiation dose reduction using a novel iterative image reconstruction technique-comparison with traditional filtered back projection. Eur Radiol. 2011;21(10):2130–8.CrossRefPubMed Moscariello A et al. Coronary CT angiography: image quality, diagnostic accuracy, and potential for radiation dose reduction using a novel iterative image reconstruction technique-comparison with traditional filtered back projection. Eur Radiol. 2011;21(10):2130–8.CrossRefPubMed
28.
go back to reference Renker M et al. Evaluation of heavily calcified vessels with coronary CT angiography: comparison of iterative and filtered back projection image reconstruction. Radiology. 2011;260(2):390–9.CrossRefPubMed Renker M et al. Evaluation of heavily calcified vessels with coronary CT angiography: comparison of iterative and filtered back projection image reconstruction. Radiology. 2011;260(2):390–9.CrossRefPubMed
30.
go back to reference Neuzner J et al. Left atrial appendage closure with the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug: Rationale for a higher degree of device oversizing at implantation. Cardiol J. 2015;22(2):201–5.CrossRefPubMed Neuzner J et al. Left atrial appendage closure with the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug: Rationale for a higher degree of device oversizing at implantation. Cardiol J. 2015;22(2):201–5.CrossRefPubMed
31.
go back to reference Sepahpour A et al. Death from pulmonary artery erosion complicating implantation of percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion device. Heart Rhythm. 2013;10(12):1810–1.CrossRefPubMed Sepahpour A et al. Death from pulmonary artery erosion complicating implantation of percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion device. Heart Rhythm. 2013;10(12):1810–1.CrossRefPubMed
32.
go back to reference Romero J et al. Detection of left atrial appendage thrombus by cardiac computed tomography in patients with atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2013;6(2):185–94.CrossRefPubMed Romero J et al. Detection of left atrial appendage thrombus by cardiac computed tomography in patients with atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2013;6(2):185–94.CrossRefPubMed
33.
go back to reference Hur J et al. Cardioembolic stroke: dual-energy cardiac CT for differentiation of left atrial appendage thrombus and circulatory stasis. Radiology. 2012;263(3):688–95.CrossRefPubMed Hur J et al. Cardioembolic stroke: dual-energy cardiac CT for differentiation of left atrial appendage thrombus and circulatory stasis. Radiology. 2012;263(3):688–95.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
- LAA Occluder View for post-implantation Evaluation (LOVE) - standardized imaging proposal evaluating implanted left atrial appendage occlusion devices by cardiac computed tomography
Authors
Michael Behnes
Ibrahim Akin
Benjamin Sartorius
Christian Fastner
Ibrahim El-Battrawy
Martin Borggrefe
Holger Haubenreisser
Mathias Meyer
Stefan O. Schoenberg
Thomas Henzler
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Imaging / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2342
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12880-016-0127-y

Other articles of this Issue 1/2016

BMC Medical Imaging 1/2016 Go to the issue