Percutaneous Patent Foramen Ovale Closure After Stroke

Percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure in patients with a prior PFO-associated stroke showed a risk reduction of the stroke recurrence compared to the medical therapy alone in recent several studies. Nevertheless, optimal patient selection for PFO closure has not been clarified. In this paper, we discuss the characteristics of PFO-associated strokes and discuss the recently published evidence and patient selection for PFO closure in patients with ischemic stroke. The lesions characteristics of PFO-associated stroke are associated with multiple scattered lesion, small sized cerebral cortical lesion, or posterior circulation. Overcoming the failure of early studies in CLOSURE I, PC, and RESPECT trials, PFO closure showed a significant reduction in recurrent stroke in recently published REDUCE, CLOSE, DEFENSE -PRO trials, and long-term follow-up data of RESPECT study. However, considering that PFO closure cannot completely prevent stroke recurrence and that complications including atrial fibrillation, we should be selectively performed in patients with high-risk PFO.