Refining Treatment Decisions for Patent Foramen Ovale Associated with Stroke

Patient and PFO characteristics affect likelihood of benefiting from PFO closure.

Trials evaluating patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure for patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack have had varied results. Recent studies show a modest benefit for closure. Since PFO prevalence in the general population is estimated to be 20% to 25%, PFO is not considered causally linked to stroke in some patients. Refining which patients are more likely to have a link between PFO and stroke would be useful. These investigators pooled data from six trials that included 3740 patients (median age, 46 years; 55% men). They compared the stroke rate between patients assigned to medical treatment versus closure. In addition, they calculated treatment implications of a high versus low RoPE score, which assigns points according to stroke c…

Reviewing Author

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Refining Treatment Decisions for Patent Foramen Ovale Associated with Stroke

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Reviewing Author