While PFO usually doesn't cause any noticeable symptoms, it can be serious. PFO increases the risk of a stroke caused by deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can form in the veins of the legs.
Among patients younger than 60 years with no other etiology identified after a thorough diagnostic evaluation, transcatheter PFO closure probably reduces the risk of recurrent stroke (summary rate difference −0.67% per year, 95% CI, −0.39% to −0.94%, I2 = 0), with a number needed to treat of 29 to reduce 1 stroke at 5 ...
PFO closure is used either for primary or secondary prevention of stroke. It has been proposed that PFO closure is an effective treatment to prevent recurrent stroke or TIA in patients with cryptogenic stroke if the shunt grade of the PFO is greater than moderate 10.
Rarely, a patent foramen ovale can cause a significant amount of blood to go around the lungs. This lowers blood oxygen levels, a condition called hypoxemia. Stroke. Sometimes small blood clots in veins may travel to the heart.
Stroke is the major possible complication of a PFO. People who have a PFO are slightly more likely to have a stroke than people who don't. A PFO is more likely to be involved in a stroke of a younger adult. That's because younger people don't have as many risk factors for stroke from other causes.
A healthcare provider may recommend a PFO closure procedure if: You've had a transient ischemic attack (TIA) more than once. You've had cryptogenic (from an unknown cause) strokes more than once. You have a low level of oxygen in your blood.
A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a highly prevalent finding in cryptogenic ischaemic stroke, particularly in young adults. A common challenge in clinical practice is to distinguish between incidental and pathogenic PFO.
In conclusion, in patients between 18 and 60 years of age who had had a cryptogenic ischemic stroke, there was no significant benefit of closure of a patent foramen ovale over medical therapy alone in the intention-to-treat analysis.