A comparison of standardized and traditional methods of contrast echocardiography of the right portion of the heart in patients with a patent foramen ovale

AIM To compare sensitivity and specificity of standardized and traditional methods of contrast echocardiography of the right portion of the heart in patients with patent foramen ovale. METHODS The study population consisted of 500 patients with high clinical suspicion of patent foramen ovale. Standardized or traditional methods of contrast echocardiography of the right portion of the heart were performed randomly. Contrast transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) or intraoperative angiography was regarded as the gold standard. Comparision was performed of sensitivity and specificity of the two methods. RESULTS Among 500 patients, a total of 278 patients with patent foramen ovale were confirmed by transesophageal and intraoperative ultrasound. This correlated to a sensitivity of 92.8% and precision of 95.2%. Standard contrast echocardiography of the right portion of the heart was significantly higher than that of traditional methods (84.2% vs. 89.8%, P<0.01). However, there was no significant difference in specificity of the two methods for the diagnosis of oval foramen patients (98.2% vs. 96.8%). CONCLUSION The sensitivity and precision of standardized contrast echocardiography in the right portion of the heart appears to be higher than that of traditional methods.