Patent Forame Ovale: Contribution of Transcranial Doppler in Patient Diagnosis

Introduction

Patent forame ovale (PFO) is the most common type of interatrial shunt, with a prevalence between 25% and 27% of the adult population. It has a flap-like functioning and is generally asymptomatic. In some cases, it can be associated with clinical complications, such as brain strokes, paradoxical embolism, platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea. The diagnosis is mainly found in young patients who present brain strokes, with no other apparent risk factor.

The evaluation of PFO is commonly performed by means of transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). However, another important method of evaluation that is rarely used in our area is the Transcranial Doppler (TCD), which evaluates the presence of an indirect shunt in an awake patient and with high sensitivity.

[…]