Search

Abstract Background To evaluate the feasibility and value of first-pass contrast-enhanced dynamic and post-contrast 3D CMR in patients after transcatheter occlusion of left atrial appendage (LAA) to identify incorrect placement and persistent leaks. Methods 7 patients with different occluder systems (n = 4 PLAATO; n = 2 Watchman; n = 1 ACP) underwent 2 contrast-enhanced (Gd-DOTA) CMR sequences (2D TrueFISP first-pass perfusion and 3D-TurboFLASH) to assess localization, artifact size and potential leaks of the devices. Perfusion CMR was analyzed visually and semi-quantitatively to identify potential leaks. Results All occluders were positioned within the LAA. The ACP occluder presented the most extensive artifact size. Visual assessment revealed a residual perfusion of the LAA apex in 4 cases using first-pass perfusion and 3D-TurboFLASH indicating a suboptimal LAA occlusion. By assessing signal-to-time-curves the cases with a visually detected leak showed a 9-fold higher signal-peak in the LAA apex (567 ± 120% increase from baseline signal) than those without a leak (61 ± 22%; p < 0.03). In contrast, the signal increase in LAA proximal to the occluder showed no difference (leak 481 ± 201% vs. no leak 478 ± 125%; p = 0.48). Conclusion This CMR pilot study provides valuable non-invasive information in patients after transcatheter occlusion of the LAA to identify correct placement and potential leaks. We recommend incorporating CMR in future clinical studies to evaluate new device types.

Cognitive complaints are common signs of the Post COVID-19 (PC) condition, but the extent and type of cognitive impairment may be heterogeneous. Little is known about neuropsychological treatment options. Preliminary evidence suggests cognitive symptoms may improve with cognitive training and naturally over time. In this clinical trial, we examined whether participation in a weekly group consisting of cognitive training and group psychotherapy is feasible and would exert beneficial effects on cognitive performance in PC and whether improvements were associated with intervention group participation or represented a temporal improvement effect during syndrome progression. 15 PC patients underwent an 8-week intervention. Cognitive performance was assessed before and after each intervention group participation. A control group of 15 PC patients with subjective neurocognitive or psychiatric complaints underwent two cognitive assessments with comparable time intervals without group participation. To attribute changes to the intervention group participation, interaction effects of group participation and time were checked for significance. This is an exploratory, non-randomized, non-blinded controlled clinical trial. Within the intervention group, significant improvements were found for most cognitive measures. However, significant time x group interactions were only detected in some dimensions of verbal memory and visuo-spatial construction skills. Significant time effects were observed for attention, concentration, memory, executive functions, and processing speed. The intervention setting was feasible and rated as helpful and relevant by the patients. Our results suggest that cognitive symptoms of PC patients may improve over time. Patients affected by both neurocognitive impairments and mental disorders benefit from group psychotherapy and neurocognitive training. The present study provides evidence for a better understanding of the dynamic symptomatology of PC and might help to develop further studies addressing possible therapy designs. The main limitations of this exploratory feasibility trial are the small sample size as well as the non-randomized design due to the clinical setting., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cognitive symptoms (CS) belong to the most common manifestations of the Post COVID-19 (PC) condition. We sought to objectify CS in PC patients using routine diagnostic assessments: neurocognitive testing (NCT) and brain imaging (BI). Further, we investigated possible associations of CS with patient reported outcomes (PROs), and risk factors for developing CS. Clinical data and PROs of 315 PC patients were assessed at a mean of 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. 231 (73.3%) patients reported any sort of CS. Among them, 78 underwent NCT and 55 received BI. In NCT, the cognitive domains most affected were the working memory, attention, and concentration. Nonetheless, pathological thresholds were exceeded only in few cases. Neurocognitive performance did not differ significantly between patients complaining of severe (n = 26) versus non-severe (n = 52) CS. BI findings were abnormal in 8 (14.5%) cases with CS but were most likely not related to PC. Patients reporting high severity of CS scored worse in the PHQ-9, FSS, WHOQOL-BREF, were more likely to report impaired sleep, and had a higher prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses. Overall, NCT could confirm mild impairment in some but not all PC patients with CS, while BI studies were abnormal in only few cases. CS severity did not affect NCT results, but severe CS were associated with symptoms of depression (PHQ-9), fatigue (FSS), reduced quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) and higher prevalence of psychiatric illnesses. These findings support the importance of NCT, BI, and neuro-psychological assessment in the work-up of PC patients reporting CS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number and date of registration: DRKS00030974, 22 Dec 2022, retrospectively registered., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The role of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED)-related tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is increasingly recognized as an independent clinical entity. Hence, interventional TR treatment options continuously evolve, surgical risk assessment and peri-operative care improve the management of CIED-related TR, and the role of lead extraction is of high interest. Furthermore, novel surgical and interventional tricuspid valve treatment options are increasingly applied to patients suffering from TR associated with or related to CIEDs. This multidisciplinary review article developed with electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, imaging specialists, and cardiac surgeons aims to give an overview of the mechanisms of disease, diagnostics, and proposes treatment algorithms of patients suffering from TR associated with CIED lead(s) or leadless pacemakers., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) such as the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) or Likert scales addressing various domains of health are important tools to assess disease severity in Post COVID-19 (PC) patients. By design, they are subjective in nature and prone to bias. Our findings reveal substantial differences in the perception of disease severity between patients (PAT), their attending internists (INT) and psychiatrists/psychologists (PSY). Patients rated almost all aspects of their health worse than INT or PSY. Most of the differences were statistically highly significant. The presence of fatigue and mood disorders correlated negatively with health perception. The physical health section of the WHO Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQoL-BREF) and Karnofsky index correlated positively with overall and mental health ratings by PAT and INT. Health ratings by neither PAT, PSY nor INT were associated with the number of abnormal findings in diagnostic procedures. This study highlights how strongly perceptions of disease severity diverge between PC patients and attending medical staff. Imprecise communication, different experiences regarding health and disease, and confounding psychological factors may explain these observations. Discrepancies in disease perception threaten patient-physician relationships and pose strong confounders in clinical studies. Established scores (e.g., WHOQoL-BREF, Karnofsky index) may represent an approach to overcome these discrepancies. Physicians and psychologists noting harsh differences between a patient's and their own perception of the patient's health should apply screening tools for mood disorders (i.e., PHQ-9, WHOQoL-BREF), psychosomatic symptom burden (SSD-12, FCV-19) and consider further psychological evaluation. An interdisciplinary approach to PC patients remains imperative. Trial Registration Number & Date of Registration: DRKS00030974, 22 Dec 2022, retrospectively registered., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Transcatheter therapies for the treatment of structural heart diseases (SHD) have expanded dramatically over the last years, thanks to the developments and improvements of devices and imaging techniques, along with the increasing expertise of operators. Imaging, in particular echocardiography, is pivotal during patient selection, procedural monitoring, and follow-up. The imaging assessment of patients undergoing transcatheter interventions places demands on imagers that differ from those of the routine evaluation of patients with SHD, and there is a need for specific expertise for those working in the cath lab. In the context of the current rapid developments and growing use of SHD therapies, this document intends to update the previous consensus document and address new advancements in interventional imaging for access routes and treatment of patients with aortic stenosis and regurgitation, and mitral stenosis and regurgitation., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: E.A.: speaker and proctoring fees, research and educational grant from Philips, Edwards, Abbott, GE, and Siemens. E.B.: Proctoring fees from Abbott. M.D.: speaker fees from Pfizer and have participated on advisory boards for Novartis. F.F.: speaker's fees from Philips. P.M.-H.: Shareholder of Neumann Medical Ltd. M.S.: lecturer/proctor for Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Philips Healthcare, and Bioventrix inc. R.S.V.B.: Trials (un-paid): IIT IZKS University of Go¨ttingen, Abbott Vascular, Bioventrix, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic; Speaker/ Advisory: Abbott Lifesciences, Bioventrix, Boston Scientific, Cardiac Dimensions, Edwards Lifesciences, and Philips. J.-L.Z.: research grants from Abbott. Speaker fee Daichii Sankio, Pfizer. B.A.P.: research grants and lecture fees from GE Healthcare and Hitachi-Aloka., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (3D TOE) has been rapidly developed in the last 15 years. Currently, 3D TOE is particularly useful as an additional imaging modality for the cardiac echocardiographers in the echo-lab, for cardiac interventionalists as a tool to guide complex catheter-based procedures cardiac, for surgeons to plan surgical strategies, and for cardiac anaesthesiologists and/or cardiologists, to assess intra-operative results. The authors of this document believe that acquiring 3D data set should become a 'standard part' of the TOE examination. This document provides (i) a basic understanding of the physic of 3D TOE technology which enables the echocardiographer to obtain new skills necessary to acquire, manipulate, and interpret 3D data sets, (ii) a description of valvular pathologies, and (iii) a description of non-valvular pathologies in which 3D TOE has shown to be a diagnostic tool particularly valuable. This document has a new format: instead of figures randomly positioned through the text, it has been organized in tables which include figures. We believe that this arrangement makes easier the lecture by clinical cardiologists and practising echocardiographers., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Tricuspid valve pathophysiology is not well-understood. Emergence of novel transcatheter tricuspid therapies has fueled the requirements for improved imaging visualization techniques and interventional imaging physician skillsets in guiding these complex transcatheter procedures. There is growing understanding on the clinical significance of tricuspid regurgitation which expanded the interest for percutaneous tricuspid valve interventions. The present review concentrates on three essential aspects of tricuspid valve pathophysiology: anatomical considerations for tricuspid interventions, optimal timing of tricuspid interventions by imaging guidance, and the role of interventional imaging physicians' skillset and knowledge in this field., Competing Interests: Author MS was proctor/lecturer for Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Philips Healthcare and Bioventrix Inc. Author DW has acted as a consultant for Abbott, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, and has received a research grant support from Boston Scientific assigned to employer Henry Ford Health., (Copyright © 2022 Gheorghe, Hegeman, Vrijkorte, Wunderlich, Cavalcante, Wang, Rana, Vannan, Timmers and Swaans.)

Percutaneous therapeutic options for an increasing variety of structural heart diseases (SHD) have grown dramatically. Within this context of continuous expansion of devices and procedures, there has been increased demand for physicians with specific knowledge, skills, and advanced training in multimodality cardiac imaging. As a consequence, a new subspecialty of 'Interventional Imaging' for SHD interventions and a new dedicated professional figure, the 'Interventional Imager' with specific competencies has emerged. The interventional imager is an integral part of the heart team and plays a central role in decision-making throughout the patient pathway, including the appropriateness and feasibility of a procedure, pre-procedural planning, intra-procedural guidance, and post-procedural follow-up. However, inherent challenges exist to develop a training programme for SHD imaging that differs from traditional cardiovascular imaging pathways. The purpose of this document is to provide the standard requirements for the training in SHD imaging, as well as a starting point for an official certification process for SHD interventional imager., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: Lisfranc fracture dislocations are rare injuries and even more so in the pediatric population. The main purpose of our study is to present a descriptive analysis of Lisfranc injuries in pediatric patients to add to the current sparse literature on this topic. In addition, our secondary outcome was to analyze any differences in patients treated conservatively versus operatively, and those with isolated Lisfranc injuries versus those with associated foot injuries., Methods: Charts of patients with Lisfranc injury treated at a tertiary pediatric hospital from January 2010 to July 2019 were reviewed to analyze their demographics, injury characteristics, management details and rehabilitation protocol. Functional outcome was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale of Pain (VAS) and the Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire for Children (OxAFQ-C)., Results: 30 patients/cases were included with mean age of 13.6 years and mean follow up of 36 weeks. 20% of the cases were missed on initial presentation. 19 cases were managed operatively while 11 were managed conservatively. The average OxAFQ-C and VAS pain scores were 83% and 1.3, respectively at mean follow-up of 36 weeks. The functional outcomes between conservative and operative cases or between those with isolated Lisfranc injuries and those with associated foot injuries were not statistically significant (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: Lisfranc injury in pediatrics can be easily missed. High index of suspicion, a thorough clinical examination and the use of advanced imaging is warranted. Various modalities like K-wires, screws and suture-buttons can be used for fixation. Early to mid-term functional outcomes are satisfactory provided that adequate reduction is obtained., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mitral regurgitation is one of the most prevalent valvulopathies worldwide, and its surgical treatment is not feasible in all cases. The elderly and frail with several comorbidities and left ventricular dysfunction are often managed conservatively. Percutaneous treatment (repair or replacement) of the mitral valve has emerged as a potential option for those patients who are at a high risk for surgery. Mitral valve repair with the Mitraclip device proved both increased safety and mortality reduction in patients with severe mitral regurgitation. On the other hand, in the last decade, percutaneous mitral replacement opened new frontiers in the field of cardiac structural interventions. There are few mitral devices; some are in the early phase of development and some are waiting for CE mark of approval. The evolution of these devices was more complicated compared to the aortic technology due to the native mitral valve's complexity and access. This review aims to provide an overview of the current devices, their specific features, and their potential complications., Competing Interests: MS is a consultant for Abbott Vascular. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Gheorghe, Brouwer, Wang, Wunderlich, Rana, Rensing, Eefting, Timmers and Swaans.)

Purpose: Tibial tubercle/tuberosity fractures are rare injuries in young patients accounting for less than one percent of physeal fractures. Bilateral simultaneous fractures are even rarer, with only a few case reports in literature. The purpose of our study was to describe the largest case series of bilateral simultaneous tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures and compare it with unilateral fractures. We also wanted to compare our bilateral fractures case series with all the cases reported in the last 65 years., Methods: IRB approved retrospective study involving patients under age 18 years with tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures. Bilateral simultaneous fractures were compared to a unilateral group including demographic data, mechanism of injury, clinical exam findings, complication rates, and outcomes including return to function. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney and Fisher Exact tests to compare the different groups., Results: 138 patients (131 males, 7 females) from a tertiary children's hospital between 2012 and 2019 with tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures were included. 11 bilateral simultaneous fractures (BL Group) were identified and compared to age matched cohort from the 127 unilateral fracture patients (UL group). There was no significant difference found in BMI, height, weight, age, sex, mechanism of injury, return to functional range of motion, and return to sports between the groups. 7/11 (63%) of the patients in the BL group who sustained simultaneous fractures had to be home bound and could not attend school for an average of 8.3 weeks. There was a higher rate of complications in the BL group (63.3%) compared to the UL group (21.1%), which was statistically significant. The most common complications in the bilateral group were hardware removal and wound dehiscence., Conclusion: This first case series comparing unilateral versus bilateral simultaneous tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures suggests that the final outcomes of the two groups are similar, however it shows a significantly higher complication rate and hardware removal rate in the BL group. This study is also the first to highlight the significant initial morbidity in the BL fracture group with issues with regards to early mobility and loss of school-days. Keeping in mind the profound initial impact the bilateral injury poses to the patient; surgeons can possibly plan for rigid fixation for early mobilization to better prepare bilateral fracture patients for the early post-operative recovery process., Competing Interests: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. No conflict of interest is to be declared., (© 2020 Delhi Orthopedic Association. All rights reserved.)

Transcatheter therapies for the treatment of valve heart diseases have expanded dramatically over the last years. The new developments and improvements in devices and techniques, along with the increasing expertise of operators, have turned the catheter-based approaches for valvular disease into an established treatment option. Various imaging techniques are used during these procedures, but echocardiography plays an essential role during patient selection, intra-procedural monitoring, and post-procedure follow-up. The echocardiographic assessment of patients undergoing transcatheter interventions places demands on echocardiographers that differ from those of the routine evaluation of patients with valve disease, and there is a need for specific expertise for those working in the cath lab. In the context of the current rapid developments and growing use of transcatheter valve therapies, this document intends to update the previous recommendations and address new advancements in imaging, particularly for those involved in any stage of the treatment of patients with valvular heart diseases., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Studies have associated obesity with better outcomes in comparison to non-obese patients after elective and emergency coronary revascularization. However, these findings might have been influenced by patient selection. Therefore we thought to look into the obesity paradox in a consecutive network STEMI population., Methods: The database of two German myocardial infarction network registries were combined and data from a total of 890 consecutive patients admitted and treated for acute STEMI including cardiogenic shock and cardiopulmonary resuscitation according to standardized protocols were analyzed. Patients were categorized in normal weight (≤24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25-30 kg/m(2)) and obese (>30 kg/m(2)) according to BMI., Results: Baseline clinical parameters revealed a higher comorbidity index for overweight and obese patients; 1-year follow-up comparison between varying groups revealed similar rates of all-cause death (9.1 % vs. 8.3 % vs. 6.2 %; p = 0.50), major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular [MACCE (15.1 % vs. 13.4 % vs. 10.2 %; p = 0.53)] and target vessel revascularization in survivors [TVR (7.0 % vs. 5.0 % vs. 4.0 %; p = 0.47)] with normal weight when compared to overweight or obese patients. These results persisted after risk-adjustment for heterogeneous baseline characteristics of groups. An analysis of patients suffering from cardiogenic shock showed no impact of BMI on clinical endpoints., Conclusion: Our data from two network systems in Germany revealed no evidence of an "obesity paradox"in an all-comer STEMI population including patients with cardiogenic shock.

Following promising preclinical studies, we report our first clinical experience with transcatheter closure of an atrial septal defect of sinus venosus type in a 65-year-old patient using the Immediate Release Patch., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: MitraClip® therapy is an alternative to conventional surgery. The aim was to characterize the mitral annular geometry pre- and postrepair with the MitraClip® taking into account the regurgitation mechanism., Methods: We retrospectively collected pre- and postprocedural transesophageal echocardiography data in 46 patients. Patients were categorized as having isolated degenerative (DMR, n = 18), isolated functional (FMR, n = 9) or a combination of both functional and degenerative mitral regurgitation (MMR, n = 19)., Results: A significant reduction in septolateral (SL) diameters in all patients occurred. Noteworthy, in those with DMR, there was no significant change in intercommissural (IC) diameters whereas in those with FMR and MMR, it increased significantly in systole (FMR: +2.8 ± 3.4 mm, P = 0.03, MMR: +2.1 ± 2.6 mm, P = 0.002). In DMR, a significant reduction in mitral annular areas post-procedure was observed (-1.8 ± 2.3 cm(2), P = 0.001 in diast., -0.8 ± 1.0 cm(2), P = 0.004 in syst.). In patients with FMR and MMR, though the SL diameter decreased, this occurred at the expense of an increase in IC diameter causing a change in annular shape but leaving the annular area unchanged. Nevertheless, a comparable reduction in regurgitant severity (DMR: P = <0.001; FMR: P = 0.003; MMR: P = <0.001) and improvement in functional class occurred regardless of regurgitant mechanism., Conclusions: Though changes in mitral annular geometry after MitraClip® repair differ depending on regurgitant mechanism, this does not appear to have an impact on residual regurgitation or clinical status in the short-term., (© 2014, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: The aim is to find predictors for a prolonged LOHS after MitraClip implantation., Background: Due to its less invasive nature, average length of hospital stay (LOHS) after the MitraClip procedure is shorter compared to mitral valve surgery. However, some patients have a prolonged LOHS., Methods: Records of consecutive patients who underwent MitraClip procedure were reviewed. A total of 41 consecutive patients with MitraClip implantation (76 ± 9 years, 59% men) were included. Median hospital stay was 7 days. Hospitalization lasting longer than 7 days was considered prolonged., Results: Procedural success was achieved in 88% of the cases. In-hospital death occurred in 4 of 41 patients (10%). Patients with a prolonged hospital stay (46%) had a higher EuroSCORE I (22.7% [IQR 10.3-28.3] vs. 6.7% [IQR 3.5-18.3], P = 0.017), a higher STS mortality score (6.1%[(IQR 3.7-7.5] vs. 2.6% [IQR 1.4-4.8]; P = 0.043) and a higher STS long-length-of-stay score (18.9% [IQR 11.3-22.5] vs. 9.6% [IQR 6.2-16.1]; P = 0.039) as well as a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (41 ml/min/1.73 m(2) [IQR 19-52] vs. 56 ml/min/1.73 m(2) [IQR 49-62]; P = 0.008) than those whose did not. In the multivariate model, lower eGFR was identified as predictor for a prolonged hospitalization., Conclusion: Lower pre-procedure eGFR is independently associated with a longer hospitalization., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: The Coherex-EU Study evaluated the safety and efficacy of PFO closure utilizing novel in-tunnel PFO closure devices., Background: Transcatheter closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) followed the development of transcatheter closure devices designed to patch atrial septal defects (ASDs). The Coherex FlatStent™ and FlatStent™ EF devices were designed specifically to treat PFO anatomy., Methods: A total of 95 patients with a clinical indication for PFO closure were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter first in man study at six clinical sites. Thirty-six patients received the first-generation FlatStent study device, and 57 patients received the second-generation FlatStent EF study device, which was modified based on clinical experience during the first 38 cases. Two patients enrolled to receive the first generation did not receive a device., Results: At 6 months post-procedure, 45% (17/38) of the intention-to-treat (ITT) cohort receiving the first-generation FlatStent device had complete closure, 26% (10/38) had a trivial residual shunt, and 29% (11/38) had a moderate to large residual shunt. In the ITT cohort receiving the second-generation FlatStent EF device, 76% (43/57) had complete closure, 12% (7/57) had a trivial shunt, and 12% had a moderate to large shunt. Five major adverse events occurred, all without sequelae., Conclusion: This initial study of the Coherex FlatStent/FlatStent EF PFO Closure System demonstrated the potential for in-tunnel PFO closure. The in-tunnel Coherex FlatStent EF may offer an alternative to septal repair devices for PFO closure in appropriately selected patients; however, further investigation will be necessary to establish the best use of this device., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objectives: To determine the incidence of symptomatic recurrent embolic events after patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure and potential causes for these events., Background: It is well-known that cerebral or other embolic events may occur after PFO closure., Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent PFO closure for secondary prevention of embolic events at a single institution., Results: 1,930 patients (mean age of 50 ± 13.3 years) underwent transcatheter PFO closure. Complete closure occurred in 92%. The annual recurrence rate of embolic events before PFO closure was 22.4% (785 events in 3,497 patient-years). During follow-up (mean 39 months), 63 recurrent events were documented: 25 strokes, 36 transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and 2 peripheral embolic events. The overall annual recurrence rate after the procedure was 1% per year (63 events in 6,211 patient-years). The majority of events occurred in patients without residual shunts (54/63). There was no significant association between the presence of a residual shunt and recurrent events [hazard ratio (HR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8-3.6, P = 0.16]. The most common cause for recurrent events was atherosclerosis. Nine out of 63 events were considered likely or possible paradoxical embolism due to residual shunt [stroke (2), TIA (5), and peripheral embolism (2)]. After PFO closure, the annual rate of events potentially related to paradoxical embolism was 0.14% (9 events in 6,211 patient-years)., Conclusion: The incidence of symptomatic embolic events after PFO closure is low. Most recurrent events are related to coexistent conditions associated with thromboembolic risk rather than residual shunts., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aims: Percutaneous treatment of mitral regurgitation (MR) has been shown to reduce MR severity and improve functional outcomes. Surgical treatment of MR usually includes mitral annulus reduction. The influence of the MitraClip on annulus geometry is not clear. We wanted to investigate whether the procedure itself reduces annulus diameter and if there may be differences between secondary or functional (SMR) and primary (PMR) MR., Methods and Results: We retrospectively assessed 3D echocardiography (3D-TEE) data of 55 patients acquired during the procedure shortly before and after clip placement for changes in annulus diameter and area. Measurements were done with QLAB software. Patients were categorized as having either SMR (n = 41) or PMR (n = 14). In SMR, we were able to demonstrate a significant reduction in annulus area (meanΔ 1.30 ± 1.44 cm2; P < 0.001), anterior-posterior (AP)-diameter (meanΔ 0.28 ± 0.32 cm; P < 0.001), tenting area (meanΔ 0.39 ± 0.49 cm2; P < 0.001). No significant change could be found for latero-medial (LM)-diameter. In contrast, we could not demonstrate significant changes in any of the parameters described above in patients with PMR., Conclusion: Percutaneous treatment with the MitraClip device can produce immediate reductions in mitral annulus size in SMR, probably supporting procedural success. It also reduces tenting, which may have prognostic implications. In contrast, these effects on mitral geometry cannot be demonstrated in PMR. Knowledge of this difference between SMR and PMR may be important to improve procedural strategies.

Left atrial appendage (LAA) device closure has emerged as an alternative treatment to conventional anticoagaluation therapy for the prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation. In 8-10% of patients with interventional LAA obliteration, relevant residual flow into the LAA persists due to incomplete seal. We present two cases in whom for the first time two different devices were placed to complete occlusion after residual leak with a first device., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)