Patent foramen ovale closure: past, present and future

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common congenital abnormality that has been implicated in a number of disease processes, including cryptogenic stroke and migraine headaches. Medical treatment for these processes is often considered inadequate and mechanical closure of the PFO is an attractive, albei...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inExpert review of cardiovascular therapy Vol. 5; no. 5; pp. 881 - 891
Main Authors Steinberg, Daniel H, Pichard, Augusto D, Satler, Lowell F, Slack, Michael C, Wunderlich, Nina, Majunke, Nico, Sievert, Horst
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Taylor & Francis 01.09.2007
Informa Healthcare
Subjects
cerebrovascular accident
closure devices
migraine
patent foramen ovale
transient ischemic attack
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Summary:Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common congenital abnormality that has been implicated in a number of disease processes, including cryptogenic stroke and migraine headaches. Medical treatment for these processes is often considered inadequate and mechanical closure of the PFO is an attractive, albeit controversial, alternative. PFO closure has become common practice in many centers, although recent guidelines limit its indication to certain subsets of patients. This review first focuses on the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of PFO, and then reviews the currently available and experimental devices for PFO closure, as well as the present clinical data pertaining to them. Finally, we present our perspective of the PFO closure, with regard to its current use and future directions.
ISSN:1477-9072
1744-8344
DOI:10.1586/14779072.5.5.881