Long-Term Follow-Up of an Interatrial Right-to-Left Shunt That Appeared After Cardiac Surgery

Abstract
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.