Cardiac CT imaging in the context of left atrial appendage occlusion

Abstract

Left atrial occlusion devices are a recognized treatment option in patients with difficult to treat atrial fibrillation or intolerance to warfarin therapy. There are an increasing number of devices on the market, and good quality preoperative imaging is crucial to assess the feasibility of the procedure and help plan the occlusion. Electrocardiography-gated cardiac CT is ideal for this purpose as the high spatial and temporal resolution allow accurate measurements and reformats in multiple planes. As the imaging specialist reporting the CT may not necessarily be the interventionalist performing the implantation, this review will illustrate the important points in reporting the preimplant CT. The expected postoperative appearances and potential complications will also be described.

Keywords: Atrial appendage; Atrial fibrillation; Humans; Multidetector computed tomography; Prostheses and implants.