Boramae Hospital succeeded in obstructing the left atrial appendage using 4D intracardiac ultrasound for the first time in Korea

May 27, 2025

Left atrial occlusion procedure using 4D endocardial ultrasound.

Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Hospital, operated by Seoul National University Hospital, successfully performed a left atrial occlusion using small four-dimensional (4D) echocardiography (ICE) for the first time in Korea.

Professor Kwon Soon-il of the Department of Circulatory Medicine at Boramae Hospital said on the 19th that he successfully performed a left atrial occlusion using 4D intracardiac ultrasound for the first time in Korea with Professor Lim Hong-ui of Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital, the supervisor of the procedure in the field of intracardiac ultrasound.

Left atrial occlusion is a procedure that reduces the risk of stroke by preventing the left atrial atrium, which is prone to blood clots, with special devices in patients with atrial fibrillation.

This procedure was performed on elderly patients with atrial fibrillation with high risk of bleeding, and is the first domestic case of applying 4D intracardiac ultrasound to left atrial occlusion.

4D endocardial ultrasound is a high-resolution imaging technology that accurately shows the structure inside the heart in real time, providing more precise anatomical information from various angles compared to conventional 2D endocardial ultrasound.

By utilizing such three-dimensional imaging technology, the operator can more accurately grasp the structure of the heart and device, which can improve the efficiency and safety of the procedure. In particular, its usefulness is greater in procedures that require high-level precision technology, such as left atrial occlusion.

Not only is this procedure an effective application of the latest imaging technology to atrial fibrillation-related procedures, but it is also an exemplary case in which public medical institutions take the lead in introducing advanced medical technology, and it has been an opportunity to raise the level of public medical care in Korea to the next level.

Professor Soon-il Kwon made a very successful procedure because he was able to make more precise and faster judgments during the procedure based on the excellent imaging information provided by the 4D endocardial ultrasound"By introducing these leading technologies, we are very meaningful to be able to provide a higher level of arrhythmia treatment in the public health sector."