Pre- and Postoperative Evaluation of the Effect of Atrial Septal Defect on Systemic Circulation Via Pulse Wave Velocity

Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine whether endothelial function is affected in patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) of secundum type and to determine the changes that might occur in endothelial function after the defect was closed by the transcatheter method by using the pulse wave velocity (PWV) technique. Materials and Methods: A total of 54 patients with ASD type and 40 healthy individuals were included in the study. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography and PWV measurements to evaluate the endothelial function prior to and 1 month after the closure procedure. Results: PWV values were significantly higher in patients with ASD than in healthy subjects (7.5+-1.2 m/s vs. 6.1+-1.0 m/s, p