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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale PFO: An Intervention Sequence
Published on: December 23, 2022
Pulmonary and paradoxical coronary embolism with a patent foramen ovale
Giosuè Falcetta1, Giovanni Scioti1, Carlo Barzaghi1
1Section of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Department, University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
Abstract:
Paradoxical embolism through a patent foramen ovale is a very unusual event considering that this cardiac anomaly may be present in as much as 26% of the general population. We describe the case of a 68-year-old man with a pulmonary and paradoxical coronary embolism in the presence of a patent foramen ovale. The finding of a worm-shaped thrombus though the atrial septum together with the risk of further embolization through the atrial septum prompted surgical treatment.
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