Transesophageal ultrasound in the surgical closure of ventricular septal defects

Surgical occlusion of ventricular septal defects has been clinically accepted and has gradually replaced medical occlusion because of its low risk of intraoperative manipulation. Transesophageal ultrasound plays an important value in intraoperative monitoring. The esophageal probe is placed into the patient’s esophagus after anesthesia, and the location of the ventricular septal defect is diagnosed preoperatively to determine the location of the ventricular septal defect. Special attention is paid to the fact that the inferior stem type ventricular septal defect cannot be blocked, and patients with a defect base greater than 10 mm are not blocked as much as possible. For high ventricular septal defects close to the outflow tract (subcrural and intracrural types) an eccentric blocking umbrella should be selected so that the the function of the aortic valve. Ultrasound plays an important role in monitoring the entry of the guidewire and the sheath as well as the release of the occluder. Postoperative evaluation of the position and proximity of the occluder can be made in a timely and accurate manner. The above figure shows a patient with a ventricular septal defect after surgery, and the strong echogenicity is the blocker. Xiaosu Zhang, Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University