Transcatheter closure as an alternative and equivalent method to the surgical treatment of atrial septal defect in adults: comparison of early and late results.

The clinical efficacy of transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure with the Amplatzer Septal Occluder (ASO) can only be judged against the results of contemporaneous surgery. The present study compared early and late results of ASD closure using ASO versus open-heart surgery.Forty-eight adult patients were found eligible for transcatheter closure in transesophageal echocardiography. The surgical group consisted of 52 patients with...