Long-term follow-up of an interatrial right-to-left shunt that appeared after cardiac surgery--evaluation by transesophageal Doppler echocardiography.
Two cases in which a right-to-left shunt appeared across a patent foramen ovale after mitral surgery were clinically and echocardiographically followed for a long period of time. The right-to-left shunt markedly decreased in the supine position on transesophageal Doppler echocardiography in both cases within 2 years after the cardiac surgery, which presumably corresponds to decreased risk of paradoxical embolism.
Yasu
T
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Omiya Medical Center, Jichi Medical School, Saitama, Japan.
Fujii
M
M
Saito
M
M
D000368:Aged; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging