on 5/2/00 9:14 PM, Barbara/San Francisco at hlthcom@ix*.ne*.co* wrote:

> An invasive cardiologist at the University of FL School of Medicine confi=
rmed
> Andrew=B9s doctor=B9s opinion on PFO evaluation (this was a few months ago wh=
en
> the debate surfaced on the tech list). Conventional ultrasonography alone
> probably will not reveal a PFO, which occurs in 25-30% of the population.=
  To
> reliably demonstrate a patent foramen, the technician would inject agitat=
ed
> saline and follow with a trans-esophageal lead (this involves swallowing =
a
> tube with an ultrasound lead implanted---somewhat invasive).
>=20
>=20
>=20
> His comment to me was, =B3if you have a PFO, does this mean you=B9ll give up
> diving? Cave diving? Decompression dives?=B2

barbara,

That's pretty much what I was told during an ultrasound I had on my heart
during an extensive checkup. The Ultrasound can't rule it out, but it can
give your doc a pretty good idea whether you do or don't have a PFO--maybe
in the higher percentile. But a further procedure is required to absolutely
rule it out.

Later,

JoeL

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