Registry of Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in the Secondary Prevention of Stroke

Abstract

Background

The foramen ovale remains patent in about 25% of the adult population. In adult life, thrombi form in the venous circulation and can cross the interatrial septum and trigger an ischemic stroke – called paradoxical embolism. The treatment can be performed through percutaneous closure of the patent foramen ovale (PFO), but still rarely performed in Brazil because it is not available in the public health care.

Objectives

To evaluate the reproducibility of clinical trial results in real-life studies due to the low number of records published about the topic.

Methods

This study is a retrospective cohort study including 121 patients who underwent percutaneous PFO closure for secondary prophylaxis of ischemic stroke between January 2012 and June 2022.

Results

We observed a mean age of 50.3 years and most females . Severe interatrial shunt was observed in 82.6% and the presence of atrial septal aneurysm in 84.2%. After 6 months of the procedure, no patient still had a residual shunt. There were no serious bleeding or vascular complications. Recurrence of a new cerebrovascular event occurred in 1.6% of patients.

Conclusion

We observed a low recurrence of new ischemic neurological events and lack major complications related to the procedure.