Utility of Real-Time 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Assessment of Mitral Paravalvular Leak.

Background: Mitral paravalvular leak (PVL) is a potential complication of surgical valve replacement procedures. Real-time 3D transesophageal echocardiography (RT-3DTEE) has emerged as an efficient tool for providing essential information about the anatomy of mitral PVLs compared with 2DTEE findings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of RT-3DTEE in the assessment of mitral PVLs.