Recurrent stroke predictors differ in medically treated patients with pathogenic vs. other PFOs.

David E Thaler1, Robin Ruthazer2, Christian Weimar2

  • 1From the Department of Neurology (D.E.T., D.M.K.) and the Predictive Analytics and Comparative Effectiveness Center, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies (R.R., J.S.L., J.G., D.M.K.), Tufts Medical Center/Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA; the University of Duisburg-Essen (C.W.), Germany; Hôpital Sainte-Anne (J.L.-M.), Paris-Descartes University, France; the Department of Neurology (J.S.), Hospital Universitari Doctor Josep Trueta Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Girona, Spain; the Department of Public Health and Primary Care (E.D.A.), Cambridge University, UK; the Department of Cardiology (F.P.), Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; the Departments of Cardiology (S.H.) and Neurology and Epidemiology (M.S.V.E.) and the Division of Cardiology (M.R.D.T.), Columbia University, New York; Inselspital (H.P.M., M.-L.M.), University of Bern; the Division of Neurology (K.N.), Triemli Municipal Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland; the University of Toronto (C.J.), Canada; and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (P.M.), Switzerland. dthaler@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.

Neurology
|June 15, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Predictors of stroke recurrence differ based on the Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) score in patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale (PFO). Echocardiographic features are key in high-RoPE score patients, while age and antiplatelet therapy matter in low-RoPE score patients.