A PFO closure is only utilized if a patient has experienced a stroke, and other causes of stroke and blood clots have been ruled out.
You may be a candidate for minimally invasive PFO closure if you: Have been diagnosed with a PFO and have had a stroke due to an unknown cause (one not attributed to a condition such as atrial fibrillation or carotid artery disease) Can take blood-thinning medication. Ideally are between the ages of 18 and 60.
Procedures to close a patent foramen ovale include: Device closure. In this procedure, the provider inserts a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel in the groin area. The catheter tip has a device to plug the PFO .
The sheath size required for implantation is 9 French. The most widely used devices so far for PFO closure are the CardioSEAL device in the USA (2000 to 2002 the only one available) and the Amplatzer PFO occluder in the rest of the world (available in the USA since 2002).
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 ...
For small PFOs without associated interatrial septal aneurysm, the 25-mm size Cribriform, PFO occluder, or Helex is preferred. Using devices smaller than 25 mm in adults is not required and may increase the risk for device embolization.
The foramen ovale (from Latin 'oval hole') forms in the late fourth week of gestation, as a small passageway between the septum secundum and the ostium secundum. Initially the atria are separated from one another by the septum primum except for a small opening below the septum, the ostium primum.
The most common congenital anomaly that is seen with patent foramen ovale (PFO) is atrial septal aneurism. However, a full 75% of PFOs close spontaneously prior to the second year of life. To date, few studies have been conducted focusing on echocardiographic follow-up of PFO.
Having a PFO as an adult or older child is not normal. But it occurs in many people. It may be slightly more common in younger adults compared with older adults.
The opening is supposed to close soon after birth, but sometimes it does not. In about 1 out of 4 people, the opening never closes. If it does not close, it is called a PFO. The cause of a PFO is unknown.