Secundum atrial septal defect is a dynamic three-dimensional entity.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic relevance of 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiography in the assessment of secundum atrial septum defect (ASD2). Methods and Results Twenty-three patients (age 2 to 58 years) with an ASD2 were studied by transthoracic (n = 9) or transesophageal (n = 14) echocardiography for the acquisition of a 3D data set before undergoing surgical repair. Qualitative (location, shape, and structure) and quantitative (largest and smallest anteroposterior and superoinferior diameters) characteristics were analyzed and compared with surgical findings. Intraobserver and interobserver variability were assessed. The gross anatomy of the ASD2, shown by the 3D images, was confirmed by the surgeon in 21 of 23 patients, but the presence of membranous or fenestrated remnants of the valvula foramina ovalis in the defect was not optimally visualized in 7 patients. Three-dimensional echocardiography revealed changes in diameter and shape of the ASD2 during the cardiac cycle. The measured largest and smallest anteroposterior diameters and their intraobserver and interobserver agreement were 274 ± 12 mm, r = 0.95 ( P r = 0.92 ( P r = 0.96 ( P r = 0.94 ( P r = 0.90 ( P r = 0.97 ( P r = 0.83 ( P r = 0.84 ( P r = 0.69 ( P r = 0.68 ( P = .05), respectively. The correlation coefficient between the measurements from 3D reconstructions and direct surgical measurements was r = 0.20 ( P = not significant) and r = 0.57 ( P r = 0.50 ( P r = 0.26 ( P = not significant). Conclusions ASD2 has a complex morphology. Three-dimensional echocardiography provides better qualitative and quantitative information on its dynamic geometry, location, and extension as compared with standard 2D echocardiography and might be useful for device selection during catheter-based closure of ASD2. (Am Heart J 1999;137:1075-81.)