[Intracardiac echography]

Abstract

The role of echocardiography during non-coronary interventions is of increasing importance. They include percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects (ASD) or patent foramen ovale (PFO), percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PMV), septal alcoholization, or interventional procedures managing arrhythmia. In all cases, echographic monitoring enables to guide the procedures, optimize and assess their results and avoid complications. This role could even increase with the development of other interventional techniques such as left auricle appendage exclusion or the percutaneous treatment of valvular diseases. This article reviews this new approach and its value in interventional cardiology.