Cobra head deformity of atrial septal occluder: blessing in disguise.

Abstract

It is not uncommon to have prolapse of the atrial septal occluder device despite accurate measurement of atrial septal defect and an appropriately chosen device. This is particularly a problem in cases with large atrial septal defect with absent aortic rim. Various techniques have been described for successful implantation of atrial septal occluder in such a scenario. The essence of all these techniques is to prevent prolapse of the left atrial disc through the defect while the right atrial disc is being deployed. In this brief report, we illustrate the use of cobra head deformity of the device to successfully deploy the device across the atrial septum.