[Paradoxical embolism: a cause of cerebral stroke in the young subject]

We report the case of a 45 year old patient who presented ischemic stroke due to the migration of a sural thrombus through a patient foramen ovale (PFO) during a Valsalva manoeuvre. The presence of PFO should be systematically evoked in case of ischemic events, especially stroke in younger adults. The diagnosis is facilitated by two-dimensional contrast echography with intravenous administration of an echo-detectable contrast agent. The clinical context and the origin of the venous thrombus in a superficial vein which remained during a stripping procedure with migration through the communicating veins of the leg were exceptional.