Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Introduction: The latest expert consensus on catheter-based Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LAAO) suggests considering either transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) alone or the addition of Cardiac Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) for pre-procedural planning. However, evidence comparing the effectiveness of adding CCTA to regular TEE planning on procedural success is limited.
Methods: We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of adding CCTA to regular TEE for pre-procedural planning in patients undergoing LAAO. We systematically searched Cochrane, Embase, and Medline for observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing TEE alone to TEE with the addition of CCTA. The primary endpoint was procedural success. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled across studies using a random-effects model.
Results: Four studies were included in our meta-analysis, three of which were RCTs and one observational study, comprising a total of 824 patients, of whom 496 (60.2%) underwent additional CCTA. In the pooled analysis, procedural success was higher in the group with added CCTA (RR 1.10; 95% CI 1.01 - 1.19; p=0.022; I2=52%). A subgroup analysis of RCTs alone confirmed these findings, with a slightly higher magnitude of effect in benefit of the addition of CCTA, and with lower heterogeneity (RR 1.15; 95% CI: 1.06 - 1.25; I2 = 0%).
Conclusions: In this meta-analysis comparing TEE alone vs TEE with the addition of CCTA for preprocedural planning of LAAO, the addition of CCTA was associated with a higher procedural success rate, and this finding was confirmed in a subgroup analysis of randomized data.