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Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): An Intervention Sequence
10:52

Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): An Intervention Sequence

Published on: December 23, 2022

Patent foramen ovale, subclinical cerebrovascular disease, and ischemic stroke in a population-based cohort

Marco R Di Tullio1, Zhezhen Jin, Cesare Russo

  • 1Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. md42@columbia.edu

Journal of the American College of Cardiology
|May 7, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) did not increase stroke risk in the general population. This study found no link between PFO and silent brain infarcts, suggesting PFO is not a significant risk factor for cerebrovascular disease.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Research
  • Neurology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is more prevalent in stroke patients than in controls.
  • The stroke risk associated with PFO in the general population remains unclear.
  • The relationship between PFO and silent brain infarcts (SBI) is not established.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between PFO and ischemic stroke risk in a general population.
  • To determine if PFO is linked to subclinical cerebrovascular disease, specifically SBI.

Main Methods:

  • A community-based sample of 1,100 individuals over 39 were followed for 11 years.
  • PFO presence was identified using transthoracic echocardiography with saline contrast.
  • Brain MRI was used to detect SBI in 360 participants; stroke risk and SBI odds were analyzed adjusting for risk factors.

Main Results:

  • PFO was present in 14.9% of participants.
  • No significant difference in ischemic stroke incidence was observed between PFO-positive and PFO-negative groups (10.1% vs. 10.3%).
  • PFO was not associated with an increased risk of stroke (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.10) or SBI (adjusted odds ratio: 1.15).

Conclusions:

  • In this community-based cohort, PFO is not associated with an elevated risk of clinical stroke.
  • Subclinical cerebrovascular disease, indicated by SBI, was also not linked to PFO presence.
  • These findings suggest PFO may not be a significant independent risk factor for stroke or SBI in the general population.
Abstract

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