Article Text
Abstract
Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is the most common anatomical cause of an interatrial shunt. It is usually asymptomatic but may cause paradoxical embolism, manifesting as stroke, myocardial infarction or visceral/peripheral ischaemia. PFO is a risk factor for stroke and may be associated with migraine with aura. New evidence suggests PFO closure reduces the risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke in a highly selected population of stroke survivors: those aged 60 years or younger with a cryptogenic stroke syndrome, a large right-to-left shunt, an atrial septal aneurysm and no evidence of atrial fibrillation. They benefit from percutaneous PFO closure in addition to antiplatelet therapy, rather than antiplatelet therapy alone. Current evidence does not support PFO closure in the treatment of migraine.
- stroke
- migraine
- interventional
- cardiology
- cerebrovascular disease
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
Contributors VA, TK-A and NK wrote the manuscript. RR and ACP reviewed, edited and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed by Tom Hughes, Cardiff, UK, and William Whiteley, Edinburgh, UK.
Read the full text or download the PDF:
Other content recommended for you
- Diagnosis and management of patent foramen ovale
- Patent foramen ovale and ventricular septal defect closure
- Advances in the management of cardioembolic stroke associated with patent foramen ovale
- Improvement of migraine headaches after percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale for secondary prevention of paradoxical embolism
- Indications for the closure of patent foramen ovale
- Patent foramen ovale: the current state of play
- Long-term results after fluoroscopy-guided closure of patent foramen ovale for secondary prevention of paradoxical embolism
- Stroke and migraine: a cardiologist’s headache
- Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale: impact of device design on safety and efficacy
- Efficacy of percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale: comparison among three commonly used occluders