BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Patent foramen ovale is associated with ischemic stroke in patients without a clearly identifiable etiology for stroke (cryptogenic stroke). Paradoxical embolization is thought to be a potential mechanism. However, patent foramen ovale is also found in patients with known cause of stroke. Therefore, using contrast transesophageal echocardiography, we characterized the pat...

OBJECTIVES Exposure to intravascular microbubbles after diving and during medical procedures alters endothelial function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a patent foramen ovale altered forearm endothelial function by facilitating microbubbles transfer. DESIGN Patients attended on two separate visits, at least seven days apart receiving agitated saline or no active interventio...

Platypnea-orthodeoxia is a rare syndrome characterized by the occurrence of dyspnea and hypoxemia on adoption of an upright posture (i.e., orthodeoxia) and by the absence of symptoms and hypoxemia in decubitus. This syndrome is frequently related to patent foramen ovale and right-to-left shunting. We describe two patients in whom patent foramen ovale with right-to-left shunting was observed on ...

We report the case of a 61 yr old male, who developed a severe right-to-left shunt through a patent foramen ovale, in the absence of elevated right-sided heart pressures, two months after a left-sided pneumonectomy. This is considered to be a rare complication after pneumonectomy. However, taking into account the approximately 20% incidence of patent foramen ovale in the general population, we ...

Visual inspection of a dry adult human skull revealed absence of a typical foramen ovale on the left side of the cranial base. The region of the foramen ovale was covered by an osseous lamina, which was continuous with the lateral pterygoid plate and thus formed a wall of an apparent canal, which opened on the lateral side of the pterygoid process. This canal is referred to as an oval canal (ca...

Introduction: Robotic prostatectomy is considered by many urologists as the new standard of care. Cases Description: We encountered 2 patients scheduled for a robotic prostatectomy whose past medical history was remarkable for a cerebral palsy that had been considered to be due to a patent foramen ovale. At this time, it was decided that foramen ovale closure was not necessary. Because of the h...

Despite 3 recent randomized clinical trials, the management of patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale remains unsettled. The primary results of Evaluation of the STARFlex Septal Closure System in Patients with a Stroke and/or Transient Ischemic Attack due to Presumed Paradoxical Embolism Through a Patent Foramen Ovale (CLOSURE), Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in...

Patent foramen ovale is frequently associated with embolic cerebrovascular accidents. The diagnosis of patent foramen ovale (PFO) is easier since the advent of transesophageal echocardiography but is invasive and does not allow to detect extracardiac RLS. Contrast transcranial Doppler ultrasound enables the detection of the passage of a contrast material injected into a peripheral vein to the c...

Transcatheter closure of patent foramen ovale is routinely performed using the transfemoral approach, which is safe and technically easy. Our case represents the rare situation where the procedure needs to be performed using the right internal jugular venous approach. According to our best knowledge this is the first report of a patent foramen ovale closure procedure with access through the int...

Approximately 40% of ischemic strokes have no clearly definable etiology and are termed cryptogenic strokes. Patent foramen ovale, a small communication between the left and right atria, is considered to be a risk factor for cerebral embolism. In this study, we report the case of a 29-year-old woman with diagnosis of ischemic stroke due to patent foramen ovale who has undergone percutaneous end...