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. 1994 Apr;15(3):145-9.
doi: 10.1007/BF02339206.

Focal cerebral ischemia and patent cardiac foramen ovale

C Gandolfo  1 , D Papagna, M A Rossi, E Favale, C Loeb, U Martini, E Moretti
Affiliations

Focal cerebral ischemia and patent cardiac foramen ovale

C Gandolfo et al. Ital J Neurol Sci. 1994 Apr.

Abstract

By means of transthoracic contrast echocardiography, the prevalence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) was studied, in a continuous series of 48 patients aged less than 50 years with a recent episode of acute cerebral ischemia. A PFO was found in 11 subjects (23%). In the subgroup of younger patients (aged less than 30 years), the prevalence was much higher than in those aged 30 or more (58% against 11%, p = 0.0022). In the 19 patients with clear evidence of extracardiac causal factors of cerebral ischemia, there was no PFO; of the remaining 29 subjects, a PFO was present in 11 (38%) (p = 0.0015). In conclusion, the possible presence of a PFO must be carefully investigated in subjects with cerebral ischemia aged less than 30, as well as in subjects aged between 30 and 50 in whom there is no acceptable explanation for their cerebral ischemic episode.

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