OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that a correlation exists between the maximum foramen ovale diastolic diameter and the excursion index (EI) of the septum primum in normal fetuses. METHODS One hundred and two normal fetuses with gestational ages ranging from 20 to 40 weeks were submitted to echocardiography. The foramen ovale diameter and the "maximal excursion" of the septum primum were meas...

background: stroke, one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, is of great importance in young adults (15-45 years), amongst whom the causes of stroke and transient ischemic attack (tia) are different from those in older ages and a significant portion of them have no known etiology. patent foramen ovale (pfo) is considered a probable cause in this group. methods: ...

The greater wing of the human sphenoid bone is pierced by several foramina, which contain, as a main element, the venous anastomoses between the interior of the skull and the extracranial veins. Since data concerning these foramina are scarce in the literature, studies comprising the frequency of occurrence and morphology of the foramina of the greater wing of the human sphenoid bone were under...

We aim to evaluate the mechanisms responsible for complications during trigeminal rhizotomy via foramen ovale puncture. Ten dry skulls and 10 skull-base specimens were investigated in the present study. In cadaveric skull-base specimens, the anatomical relationships between the foramen ovale, mandibular nerve and Gasserian ganglion and the surrounding neurovascular structures were investigated ...

Contrasting with three randomized trials that failed to show any superiority of patent foramen ovale closure over antithrombotic therapy, two trials recently reported lower rates of stroke recurrence among patients assigned to patent foramen ovale closure than among those assigned to antiplatelet therapy. In addition, one of the initially negative trials concluded in favor of patent foramen ova...

A patent foramen ovale is a common intracardiac finding that is located between the left and right atrium. It can cause right-to-left shunting and has a high prevalence in patients who suffer a cryptogenic stroke. Earlier trials did not show superiority of percutaneous patent foramen ovale closure with standard medical therapy over standard medical therapy alone in the treatment of cryptogenic ...

Though uncommon, right-to-left shunt through a patent foramen ovale with normal right-side pressure and with a normal interatrial pressure gradient has been reported. The speculated pathophysiology is attributed to directional blood flow streaming from the vena cava to the left atrium. Hypoxemia secondary to right-to-left shunt with normal pulmonary artery pressure has been extensively document...

Paradoxical embolism is defined as a systemic arterial embolism requiring the passage of a venous thrombus into the arterial circulatory system through a right-to-left shunt. It is a relatively rare phenomenon, representing about 2% of all cases of arterial embolism. We report a case of a 79-years-old woman admitted to hospital because of dyspnea and lower left limb pain. CT scan revealed multi...

The foramen ovale is a very circular looking hole that is located in the posterior part of the sphenoid bone, structures passing through it mandibular nerve, accessory meningeal artery, lasser petrosal nerve, emissary vein. The foramen ovale differs in shape and size, in present study we have studied about morphometric values of like mean length, width and area. The total 125(250 sides) skulls ...

OBJECTIVE In patients with medically intractable partial epilepsy of mesiotemporal origin, video electroencephalographic monitoring with foramen ovale electrodes is necessary to plan neurosurgical interventions. Imaging of these electrodes after implantation hitherto required conventional radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, or computed tomography of the skull. These methods are expensive. ...