Forame Oval Patente

Paradoxical Embolism

Bradley A. Maron, MD; Prem S. Shekar, MD; Samuel Z. 
Goldhaber, MD

Anticoagulation with either daily aspirin or warfarin is recommended in PFO patients to prevent recurrent stroke. Percutaneous or surgical defect closure is a reasonable treatment choice in patients with a prior cryptogenic stroke and should be considered when the PFO is associated with high-risk features (American Heart Association class IIa indication, level of evidence C).²⁷ Several ongoing randomized controlled clinical trials evaluatingmedical and percutaneous therapies for recurrent cryptogenic stroke prevention in PFO patients will provide additional data.