Closure of patent foramen ovale or medical therapy alone for secondary prevention of cryptogenic cerebrovascular events

About one-third of ischemic stroke are cryptogenic. Paradoxical embolism through patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been identified as a possible cause of cryptogenic stroke. Therefore, PFO closure has been considered for secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke. However, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing PFO closure versus medical therapy led to conflicting results. Our objectives were to examine if PFO closure is superior to medical therapy alone for secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke and to investigate whether PFO closure is associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AFL).