1. Identification and Quantification of Patent Foramen Ovale–Mediated Shunts Echocardiography and Transcranial Doppler
- Author
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Mahmoud, Ahmed N, Elgendy, Islam Y, Agarwal, Nayan, Tobis, Jonathan M, and Mojadidi, Mohammad Khalid
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology ,Biomedical Imaging ,Heart Disease ,Neurosciences ,Brain Disorders ,Cardiovascular ,Echocardiography ,Transesophageal ,Foramen Ovale ,Patent ,Humans ,Stroke ,Ultrasonography ,Doppler ,Transcranial ,Bubble study ,Echocardiography ,Patent foramen ovale ,Right-to-left shunt ,Transcranial Doppler - Abstract
Once deemed benign, patent foramen ovale (PFO)-mediated right-to-left shunting has now been linked to stroke, migraine, and hypoxemia. Contrast transesophageal echocardiography is considered the standard technique for identifying a PFO, allowing visualization of the atrial septal anatomy and differentiation from non-PFO right-to-left shunts. Transthoracic echocardiography is the most common method for PFO imaging, being cost-effective, but has the lowest sensitivity. Transcranial Doppler is highly sensitive but is unable to differentiate cardiac from pulmonary shunts; it is the best method to quantitate shunt severity, being more sensitive than transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography so is our preferred screening method for PFO.
- Published
- 2017