Amplatzer® Vascular Plug III, for closing residual mitral paravalvular leak: three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography image

Abstract

Paravalvular leak is a significant complication after surgical valve replacement. Traditionally, redo surgery has been considered the treatment of choice, but is associated with high morbidity and mortality as well as increase risk of developing new leaks. Percutaneous treatment of paravalvular leak appears as an attractive alternative. Such treatment has been made possible by the current ability to integrate multiple imaging modalities that have helped to define the anatomy of the defect and planning and guiding the percutaneous closure procedure, thus resulting in better outcomes. The Amplatzer® Vascular Plug III (St. Jude Medical) is the first device specifically designed for percutaneous closure of paravalvular leak with promising results. We present the three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic images of a successful outcome of percutaneous closure of a residual mitral paravalvular leak with an Amplatzer® Vascular Plug III device (St. Jude Medical), after an initial procedure of percutaneous closure with an Amplatzer® duct occluder (St. Jude Medical).