Left Atrial Appendage Closure Periprocedural Imaging

Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has become an important tool for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). LAAC is an alternative to oral anticoagulation (OAC) and, thus, is a desirable option for patients at high risk for bleeding. In the early days of LAAC, concerns were raised about the procedure’s safety and long-term efficacy. However, operator technique improvements, pre-, and periprocedural imaging advancements, and device development have improved safety and technical success rates. This chapter reviews the periprocedural multimodality imaging in percutaneous LAAC when using the 2 FDA-approved devices, Watchman FLX (Boston Scientific Corporation) and Amulet (St. Jude Medical, Minneapolis, MN).