The prevalence and morphologic characteristics of @entity439 identified by transesophageal echocardiography in 410 consecutive @entity1 are described. Two groups of @entity1 were compared: Group I consisted of 133 @entity1 referred for evaluation of the potential source of an embolus and Group II consisted of 277 @entity1 referred for other reasons. An @entity439 was diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography in 32 (8%) of the 410 @entity1 . Surface echocardiography identified only 12 of these @entity439 . @entity439 was significantly more common in @entity1 with @entity64 (20 [15%] of 133 vs. 12 [4%] of 277) (p less than 0.05); right to left shunting at the atrial level was demonstrated in 70% of @entity1 in Group I and 75% of @entity1 in Group II by saline contrast echocardiography. Four @entity1 in Group I had an @entity118 with additional left to right flow. There was no difference between the two groups in @entity439 base width, total excursion or left atrial or right atrial excursion. However, Group I @entity1 had a thinner @entity439 than did Group II @entity1 . It is concluded that an @entity439 occurs commonly in @entity1 with unexplained @entity64 , is more frequently detected by transesophageal echocardiography than by surface echocardiography and is usually associated with right to left atrial shunting. Treatment (anticoagulant therapy vs. surgery) of @entity439 identified in @entity64 @entity1 can be determined only by long-term follow-up studies.

XXXX and @entity64 : a transesophageal echocardiographic study.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity64 :: ('MESH:D020521', 'Disease') :: ['stroke'] @entity439 :: ('MESH:D000783', 'Disease') :: ['aneurysms', 'atrial septal aneurysms', 'Atrial septal aneurysm', 'atrial septal aneurysm', 'aneurysm'] @entity118 :: ('MESH:D006344', 'Disease') :: ['atrial septal defect']
@entity439 :: (MESH:D000783,Disease) :: ['Atrial septal aneurysm']
