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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): An Intervention Sequence
Published on: December 23, 2022
Giant thrombus trapped in foramen ovale with pulmonary embolus and stroke
Eduard Claver1, Eduardo Larrousse, Eva Bernal
1Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Division of Cardiology, Badalona, Spain.
Abstract:
We describe the case of a young man who, while he was in coma because of a traffic accident, had first a pulmonary embolus and immediately afterwards had a systemic (cerebral) embolus. A transesophageal echocardiographic image revealed a giant thrombi trapped in foramen ovale protruding in right and left ventricles, diagnosing, thus, a paradoxical embolism. The relationship between patent foramen ovale and pulmonary embolism has been reported in some series. Elevated right-chamber pressure caused by pulmonary hypertension could favor the establishment of a right-to-left shunt, causing, in some cases, paradoxical embolisms. We review the clinical implications.
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