Patient demographics and pre-procedural data
| Patients (n) | 166 |
| Age, years (mean±SD) | 47±12 (18–81) |
| Male, gender n (%) | 80 (48) |
| Indication for closure: | |
| Stroke | 76 (46) |
| Transient cerebral ischaemia | 68 (41) |
| Peripheral embolus | 2 (1) |
| Decompression illness | 2 (1) |
| Platypnoea orthodeoxia | 18 (11) |
| Symptoms: | |
| Chest pain | 0 (0) |
| NYHA I–II | 164 (99) |
| NYHA III–IV | 2 (1) |
| Palpitation | 6 (4) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 0 (0) |
| Arterial hypertension | 38 (23) |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 33 (20) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 38 (23) |
| Current smoker | 40 (24) |
| Migraine with aura | 36 (22) |
| Migraine without aura | 17 (10) |
| Transthoracic echo findings | |
| Left atrial size (cm2) | 16.6±2.4 (14–25) |
| Right atrial size (cm2) | 13.6±1.9 (9–24) |
| Septal thickness (mm) | 10.1±1.8 (6–14) |
| Left ventricle end-diastole (mm) | 46.3±8.6 (42–59) |
| Left ventricle end-systole (mm) | 28.4±4.5 (19–44) |
| Fractional shortening (%) | 40±8 (17–61) |
| Bubble study | |
| Moderate or smaller shunt | 0 (0) |
| Large shunt | 166 (100) |
| Resting shunt | 132 (80) |
| Shunt on Valsalva only | 34 (20) |
Results are shown as number (%) or mean±SD (range).
NYHA, New York Heart Association.