BACKGROUND Amplatzer occluder and Cardio-O-fix occluder are currently used in percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale. However, there is still a lack of relevant reports comparison the differences between them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term and mid-term safety and efficacy of the Cardi-O-fix occluder in preventing recurrent cerebrovascular events in patients with a p...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess predictors of residual shunts after percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure with Amplatzer PFO occluder (AGA Medical Corporation, Golden Valley, MN, USA). METHODS All percutaneous PFO closures, using Amplatzer PFO occluder performed at a tertiary center between May 2002 and August 2006, were reviewed. Follow-up, including saline cont...

OBJECTIVE To compare the safety and efficacy of percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) with the Amplatzer PFO occluder (Amplatzer) or the PFO STAR device (STAR) in patients with presumed paradoxical embolism. METHODS Implantation characteristics, procedural complications, residual shunt, and recurrence of thromboembolic events were recorded prospectively in 100 consecutive patient...

background: percutaneous transcatheter closure has been proposed as an alternative to surgical closure or long-term anticoagulation in patients with presumed paradoxical embolism and patent foramen ovale (pfo). methods: there were two symptomatic patients (29 and 47 years old) who underwent percutaneous transcatheter closure of pfo after at least two events of cerebral ischemia; one embolic eve...

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) with the Amplatzer PFO occluder (Amplatzer) or the PFO STAR device (STAR) in patients with presumed paradoxical embolism. Methods: Implantation characteristics, procedural complications, residual shunt, and recurrence of thromboembolic events were recorded prospectively in 100 consecutive patient...

T he first atrial septal defects (ASDs) were closed percutaneously in 1974 and reports about their closure published in 1976. In the 1980s the Rashkind occluder was introduced and revived the interest in the topic, focusing for the first time on the patent foramen ovale (PFO). This device is still available in two modified versions. Its initial name, Rashkind Clamshell occluder, has been change...

T he first atrial septal defects (ASDs) were closed percutaneously in 1974 and reports about their closure published in 1976. In the 1980s the Rashkind occluder was introduced and revived the interest in the topic, focusing for the first time on the patent foramen ovale (PFO). This device is still available in two modified versions. Its initial name, Rashkind Clamshell occluder, has been change...

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been known to be the cause of transient ischemic attacks or stroke, and transcatheter device closure has been the treatment of choice for these defects. Combined defect of abnormal drainage of left superior vena cava (LSVC) to left superior pulmonary vein (LSPV) in PFO patients is an uncommon combination, and both can act as a pathway for paradoxical embolism. We ...

AIMS Percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure for secondary stroke prevention is discussed controversially. Long-term data comparing different closure devices are limited. The objective is the prospective comparison of procedural complications and long-term results after PFO closure in patients with cryptogenic stroke randomized to three different closure devices. METHODS AND RESULTS B...

T ranscatheter cardiovascular interventions are nowadays more frequently and safely performed, thus leading to populate the heart with medical devices. Here, we describe an unusual complication following percutaneous closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) with an atrial septal occluder. A 52-year-old woman with history of transient ischemic attack was found to have a PFO associated with an atr...