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Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale PFO: An Intervention Sequence
Published on: December 23, 2022
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Brain abscess associated with patent foramen ovale
Hirokazu Sadahiro1, Sadahiro Nomura, Akinori Inamura
1Department of Neurosurgery and Clinical Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minami-Kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan, sadapiro@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp.
Acta Neurochirurgica
|July 1, 2014
Summary
Cryptogenic brain abscess (CBA) may be linked to patent foramen ovale (PFO), a common condition causing right-to-left shunts. Further research using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is recommended to confirm this association in CBA patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Brain abscesses are associated with congenital heart defects causing right-to-left shunts.
- Cryptogenic brain abscess (CBA) can occur without apparent congenital anomalies or infections.
- Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a prevalent condition characterized by a right-to-left shunt.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential association between cryptogenic brain abscess (CBA) and patent foramen ovale (PFO).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective enrollment of seven patients diagnosed with CBA between 2003 and 2013.
- Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) with contrast was performed to detect PFO in all patients.
Main Results:
- Six out of seven CBA patients were found to have PFO.
- One patient had a pulmonary arteriovenous shunt.
- Four patients presented with odontopathy.
Conclusions:
- All investigated CBA patients exhibited a right-to-left shunt.
- Paradoxical embolization of bacterial masses through PFO is a potential cause of CBA.
- Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is crucial for detecting PFO in CBA patients.
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