Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2025

Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale PFO: An Intervention Sequence
Published on: December 23, 2022
Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): An Intervention Sequence
Pawel Aftanski1, Aurel Maloku1, Gudrun Dannberg1
1Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Cardiology, Angiology, and Intensive Medical Care, University Hospital Jena.
Abstract:
A patent foramen ovale (PFO) persists in about one-quarter of people and is the source of up to 25% of all ischemic strokes, especially strokes in young adults. PFO can be easily diagnosed by transthoracic contrast and/or transesophageal echocardiography. Interventional closure of the PFO via the femoral vein is a commonly used cardiological procedure since several trials have demonstrated the superiority of PFO closure over standard medical therapy in patients with PFO and who have experienced post ischemic, cardioembolic, or cryptogenic stroke. The current paper and video show the procedure of PFO closure in a step-by-step manner.

