Key result
The utility of ultrasound enhancing agents in differentiating between sludge and less severe spontaneous echo contrast in the left atrial appendage remains largely unknown.
Why the study?
Does the use of ultrasound enhancing agents improve the differentiation between sludge and less severe spontaneous echo contrast in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing transesophageal echocardiography?
Does the use of ultrasound enhancing agents improve the differentiation between sludge and less severe spontaneous echo contrast in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing transesophageal echocardiography?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The text highlights a clinical knowledge gap regarding the utility of ultrasound enhancing agents in differentiating sludge from less severe spontaneous echo contrast in the left atrial appendage.
The accurate identification of thrombus in the left atrial appendage with transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) before cardioversion is essential. Most of these patients have some grade of spontaneous echo contrast (SEC). Severe SEC is often called "sludge," and its prognosis and treatment are still controversial. Current guidelines suggest the use of ultrasound enhancing agents (UEAs) when significant SEC is present. However, little is known about the utility of the UEAs in the differentiation between sludge and less severe SEC.
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Posada‐Martínez et al. (2019) conducted a review in Atrial fibrillation. Ultrasound enhancing agents (UEAs) was evaluated. The utility of ultrasound enhancing agents in differentiating between sludge and less severe spontaneous echo contrast in the left atrial appendage remains largely unknown.
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