[Intracardiac echocardiography during percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale].

Intracardiac echocardiography is a new technique based on the use of ultrasonic diagnostic catheters. The most significant current experience has been obtained with the AcuNav catheter, with a "phased array" high frequency (5.5 to 10 mHz) detector, which obtains bidimensional echocardiographic views, coupled to pulsed and colour Doppler. Image acquisition is made from an intracardiac position, usually the right atrium. This review touches on the technical aspects of this method, applied to the examination of the intra-atrial septum, as well as the results currently obtained during inter-atrial communication and patent foramen ovale closure procedures. In effect it is in this field of application that intracardiac ultrasound has now found its niche, providing equivalent information to the reference technique of transoesophageal echocardiography. Intracardiac echocardiography allows complete examination of the inter-atrial septum and septal defects, as well as accurate surveillance of the positioning of percutaneous closure devices. An important advantage of intracardiac echocardiography is the possibility of avoiding a general anaesthetic, usually necessary with the transoesophageal route. At present, the main limiting factor to its systematic use is its high cost, linked to the single use catheters.