Debate: Closure of patent foramen ovale. The interventional cardiologist perspective

Abstract

QUESTION: What would you say is the current state of the evidence available on the closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO)? ANSWER: The closure of PFO to prevent embolic events has been a matter of discussion for cardiologists and neurologists in the therapeutic decision-making process for years. The main reason was the lack of randomized clinical trials showing the efficacy (or inefficacy) of performing this percutaneous procedure in certain patients diagnosed with cryptogenic stroke. After the publication of 3 randomized clinical trials in 2017 in one of the highest-impact medical journals and posterior meta-analysis, the results suggest long-term clinical benefits in patients with certain anatomical, echocardiographic, and clinical characteristics who have suffered a stroke (or neurological event of embolic profile) without apparent reason.1