Comparison of Different Contrast Agents in Detecting Cardiac Right-to-Left Shunt in Patients with a Patent Foramen Ovale during Contrast-Transthoracic Echocardiography

Figure 1

Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrating the interatrial septum. (a) Two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography showing a “slit-like” communication between the left and right atria, which was diagnosed as a PFO. (b) Color flow mapping of the spontaneous PFO left-to-right shunt. (c) Detection of PFO by real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. The tunnel-like configuration between the septum primum and the septum secundum, which indicates the presence of a PFO (blue arrow). LA = left atrium; RA = right atrium.

(a)

(b)

(c)