Potentially Large yet Uncertain Benefits

STROKEAHA: 7/18/13

A Meta-analysis of Patent Foramen Ovale Closure Trials

Until recently, the evidence base for patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure with a device to prevent future cerebrovascular events in patients with cryptogenic stroke and presumed paradoxical embolism consisted of a large body of >50 observational studies that cumulatively showed substantial and unequivocal benefits with this intervention.¹ On the basis of this observational data and the compelling pathophysiologic rationale, PFO closure to prevent stroke recurrence had become routine in many centers, and off-label closure of PFOs hampered enrollment in ongoing trials. Read More