Patent foramen ovale causing stroke in an elderly woman

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) was fully documented as the cause of a cerebral infarction in a 78-year-old woman, with asymptomatic deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism as secondary causes. The report is unique in view of the patient's age and lack of history or clinical evidence of cardiac or pulmonary disease, thromboembolic disease, or systemic embolism at or before the stroke. This case emphasizes the etiologic role of PFO in cryptogenic strokes even in elderly patients with no obvious clinical risk factors for paradoxical embolism.