Abstract
Two patients undergoing endocavitary ablation for resistant supraventricular tachycardia had cross sectional echocardiography performed during the ablative procedure. In both cases immediate opacification of the right heart cavities occurred at the time of the current discharge. The contrast effect was similar to that resulting from a peripheral venous injection of dextrose or saline during echocardiography for the diagnosis of intracardiac shunts. In one patient contrast echoes were also seen in the left ventricle. This contrast effect may be produced by gaseous release or blood element destruction. The risk of embolisation in patients undergoing endocavitary ablation, particularly on the left side of the heart, should be further evaluated.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bourdillon P. D., Foale R. A., Rickards A. F. Identification of atrial septal defects by cross-sectional contrast echocardiography. Br Heart J. 1980 Oct;44(4):401–405. doi: 10.1136/hrt.44.4.401. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hartzler G. O. Electrode catheter ablation of refractory focal ventricular tachycardia. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1983 Dec;2(6):1107–1113. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(83)80337-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Henriksen L. Evidence suggestive of diffuse brain damage following cardiac operations. Lancet. 1984 Apr 14;1(8381):816–820. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)92271-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ward D. E., Davies M. Transvenous high energy shock for ablating atrioventricular conduction in man. Observations on the histological effects. Br Heart J. 1984 Feb;51(2):175–178. doi: 10.1136/hrt.51.2.175. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]