An audit of persistent foramen ovale closure in 105 divers.

Introduction: Right-to-left shunt across a persistent foramen ovale (PFO) has been associated with cutaneous, neurological and vestibular decompression illness (DCI). Percutaneous closure of a PFO has been used to reduce the risk of DCI. There are no randomised controlled trial data to support PFO closure for the prevention of decompression illness (DCI), so the need for audit data on the safety and efficacy of this technique has been recognised by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence in the UK.