Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale PFO: An Intervention Sequence
Published on: December 23, 2022
Simultaneous Multifocal Paradoxical Embolism in an Elderly Patient with Patent Foramen Ovale: A Case Report
Hassan M Lak1, Taha Ahmed2, Raunak Nair1
1Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic - Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, USA.
Abstract:
About one-third of ischemic strokes may be associated with a patent foramen ovale (PFO). This article presents an unusual case of a 68-year-old woman with simultaneous paradoxical thrombo-embolization to different systemic sites. The patient presented initially with visual deficits and intracerebellar hemorrhage but was found to have concomitant saddle pulmonary embolism, sub-acute cerebral infarction with focal neurological deficits, and thromboembolism to the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) that resulted in an ischemic bowel. The unifying diagnosis was paradoxical embolism through a PFO and an atrial septal aneurysm with high-risk features. The patient underwent percutaneous closure of the PFO with an Amplatzer device.
Related Concept Videos
Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
Pulmonary Embolism I: Introduction
Pulmonary Embolism III: Nursing Management
Aneurysm II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Esophageal Perforation-II: Clinical Manifestations and Management
Clinical Manifestations:
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System II:Types of Echocardiography
Types of Echocardiography
Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE)
TTE is the most common type of echocardiogram which involves placing a transducer on the patient's chest, emitting sound waves to create heart images. TTE is invaluable for evaluating the heart's size, structure, and motion, making it particularly useful for...

