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Patent foramen ovale in elderly stroke patients

R R Lewis1, A Hussain, K A Rashed

  • 1Department of Geriatric and General Medicine, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, NHS Trust, London, UK.

International Journal of Clinical Practice
|January 5, 2002
PubMed

Insights

In elderly stroke patients, 19% had a patent foramen ovale (PFO). PFO presence was not strongly linked to other stroke risk factors in this group.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Geriatrics

Background:

  • Cerebral infarction is a common cause of stroke in the elderly.
  • Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a potential, yet debated, risk factor for stroke.
  • Identifying PFO incidence and associated risk factors in this demographic is crucial for stroke prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of echocardiographically detected PFO in elderly patients with cerebral infarction.
  • To assess the association between PFO and other established stroke risk factors in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Transesophageal echocardiography was used to assess 43 consecutive patients aged 65 years or older admitted with cerebral infarction.
  • Patients were evaluated for the presence of PFO and other stroke risk factors, including atrial fibrillation and diabetes mellitus.

Main Results:

  • A patent foramen ovale (PFO) was detected in 8 out of 43 patients (19%).
  • Among patients with PFO, 50% had other stroke risk factors (atrial fibrillation or diabetes).
  • In patients without PFO (81%), a higher prevalence of risk factors was observed (83%), with many having multiple risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • The incidence of PFO in elderly patients with cerebral infarction is 19%.
  • The presence of PFO in this study was not strongly associated with other common stroke risk factors.
  • Further research is needed to clarify the role of PFO in elderly stroke patients, especially in the context of other comorbidities.

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