title: Percutaneous closure of the patent foramen ovale, easy does it.
abstract: Closure of the patent foramen ovale does not benefit from echocardiographic guidance in the majority of cases. Guiding these procedures with fluoroscopy only reduces procedure time, radiation exposure, and amount of contrast medium. There is a clear trend to abandon echocardiographic guidance for this procedure over time and with growing experience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meier
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*