Patent foramen ovale in cryptogenic stroke: incidental or pathogenic?

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is significantly associated with cryptogenic stroke (CS). However, even in patients with CS, a PFO can be an incidental finding. We sought to estimate the probability that a PFO in a patient with CS is incidental.

Methods

A systematic search identified 23 case-control studies examining the prevalence of PFO in patients with CS versus control subjects with stroke of known cause. Using simple assumptions and Bayes' theorem, we calculated the probability a PFO is incidental in patients with CS. Random effects meta-analyses estimated the odds ratio (OR) of a PFO in CS versus control subjects in different age populations, with or without atrial septal aneurysms, and were used to summarize across studies the probability that a PFO

SUBMITTER: Alsheikh-Ali AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2764355 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature