• Zhong-Dong Du, Qi-Ling Cao, Annette Joseph, Peter Koenig, Mary Heischmidt, David J Waight, Jonathan Rhodes, James Brorson, and Ziyad M Hijazi.
• Section of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago Children's Hospital, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
• Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2002 Feb 1;55(2):189-94.

AbstractClosure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been proposed as an alternative to anticoagulation in patients with presumed paradoxical emboli. We report our preliminary intermediate results of patients who underwent transcatheter PFO closure for paradoxical embolism using DAS-Angel Wings occluder or Amplatzer devices. Eighteen patients (8 male/10 female) underwent catheter closure of their PFOs at a median age of 42 years. The complete closure rate was 67% immediately after the procedure and 100% at a mean follow-up interval of 2.2 +/- 1.8 years. The mean fluoroscopy time and procedure time in the Amplatzer group were 8.5 +/- 3.2 min and 65 +/- 21 min, respectively, which were significantly shorter than those of DAS-Angel Wings group (18.9 +/- 4.7 min and 137 +/- 28 min, respectively). There were no recurrent embolic neurological events following device placement in this subset of patients. No complications were encountered either during or after the closure procedure. In conclusion, transcatheter closure of PFO seems to be an effective alternative therapy in the prevention of presumed paradoxical emboli. Further study is needed to identify patients most likely to benefit from this intervention.Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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