Long-term follow-up of an interatrial right-to-left shunt that appeared after cardiac surgery--evaluation by transesophageal Doppler echocardiography.

摘要

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.