Dearani, J. A. et al. Surgical patent foramen ovale closure for prevention of paradoxical embolism-related cerebrovascular ischemic events. Circulation 100 (Suppl. 2), 171–175 (1999).

Devices for PFO closure, as well as the procedure itself, are also reviewed. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a normal fetal communication between the right and left atria that persists after birth.

Whether closure of a patent foramen ovale reduces the risk of recurrence of ischemic stroke in patients who have had a cryptogenic ischemic stroke is unknown. In a multicenter, randomized, open-lab ...

Moreover, while these patients are not officially candidates for PFO closure, there are no regulatory barriers for them being sent for open-heart surgical closure.

In patients with migraine who undergo transcatheter closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO), the presence of aura and of residual right-to-left shunt appear to influence the amount of migraine benefits, ...

Three new studies provide evidence that closure of patent foramen ovale in select patients after cryptogenic stroke reduced the stroke recurrence rate compared with medical therapy.

For adults with a prior PFO-associated stroke: The guidelines recommended PFO closure rather than antiplatelet medication alone for patients ages 18 to 60 (independent of anatomy) and for those ...

In scuba divers with large patent foramen ovale (PFO), transcatheter closure seems to prevent decompression sickness (DCS), a new study suggests. “According to our data, PFO closure is recommended in ...

Closure of a patent foramen ovale for secondary prevention of cryptogenic embolism did not result in a significant reduction in the risk of recurrent embolic events or death as compared with ...

Two controversial trials testing PFO closure with the Amplatzer PFO Occluder (St. Jude Medical) in patients with cryptogenic stroke, first presented last fall at the TCT meeting, have now been ...