Patent ovale forame

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous closure is nowadays still deemed challenging in patent forame ovale (PFO) associated to multi-fenestrated atrial septal aneurysm (ASA). This anatomic arrangement is still considered a significant risk factor for recurrence of paradoxical embolism. Theoretically, transcatheter approach could be theoretically even more complex in the case of dextrocardia and visceral situs inversus. CASE SUMMARY: A 59-year-old man with history of migraine with aura and multiple cryptogenic strokes was referred for percutaneous closure of a PFO with associated ASA...

Percutaneous closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a common variation of interatrial septum anatomy, is a commonly performed procedure in the catheterization laboratory to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in selected patients and to treat other PFO-related syndromes. In the last twenty years, disc-based devices have represented the armamentarium of the interventional cardiologist; recently, suture-based devices have become an attractive alternative, despite limited data regarding their long-term performance...

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Non-invasive Doppler ultrasonographic study of cerebral arteries (transcranial Doppler, TCD) has been extensively applied on both outpatient and inpatient settings. It is performed placing a low-frequency (≤2 MHz) transducer on the scalp of the patient over specific acoustic windows, in order to visualize the intracranial arterial vessels and to evaluate the cerebral blood flow velocity and its alteration in many different conditions. Nowadays a valid indication for TCD in the outpatient setting is the research of right-to-left shunting, responsible for the so-called "paradoxical embolism", most often due to patency of foramen ovale, which is responsible for the majority of cryptogenic strokes occurring in patients younger than 55 years...

Patent foram ovale (PFO) is the most common anatomical cause of an interarterial shunt. It is usually asymptomatic but may cause paradoxical embolism and is a risk factor for non-lacunar cryptogenic cerebral ischemia in young adults. Although the first clinical trials did not show a significant superiority of PFO closure in the secondary prevention of cerebral ischemia as compared with standard antithrombotic treatment, six subsequent randomized clinical trials (CLOSURE I, PC Trial, RESPECT, CLOSE, REDUCE, and DEFENSE-PFO) performed in a sample of cryptogenic stroke in patients aged 60 years or younger provided evidence of a significant reduction of recurrent cerebral ischemia after percutaneous PFO closure...

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BACKGROUD: The role of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in cryptogenic stroke (CS) is debated. Tools to predict PFO occurrence and attributable fraction are needed to guide cost-effective diagnostics and treatment. Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) score relies on neuroimaging findings, which might be inconclusive in up to 30% of cases. METHODS: We developed a clinical-based easy tool to predict the presence and attributable fraction of PFO in CS patients, without using neuroimaging...

INTRODUCTION: Interatrial shunt closure is considered the first-line therapy for congenital simple communications such as patent forame ovale (PFO), atrial septal defect (ASD), and post surgical interatrial communications. AREAS COVERED: Anatomical, functional, and technical details useful for planning a transcatheter-based closure procedure are discussed as well as the available equipments and their use and the procedural routes and the specific closure techniques...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Ventricular assist devices are electromechanical pumps used for circulatory support of patients with severe heart failure. Current ventricular assist device therapy provides a broad spectrum of support systems ranging from short-term to long-term devices. Echocardiography is an ideal modality to monitor patients undergoing mechanical circulatory support because it is less invasive, widely available and can be performed at the bedside. Both long-term and short-term devices require a careful echocardiographic management before implant, during surgical procedure and during postoperative course...

The percutaneous closure of patent forame ovale (PFO) is currently performed in patients with cryptogenic stroke or paradoxical systemic embolism. The availability of new user friendly devices and the increase in knowledge of the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and follow-up of these patients has broadened the indications and drastically reduced the morbidity related to the intervention. This review considers the main pathophysiological and epidemiological features of PFO and discusses the indications and results of the intervention...

BACKGROUND: The development of minimally invasive cardiac surgery has shown good clinical results with shorter recovery time and better cosmetic results. The introduction of the robotic systems can further reduce the surgical trauma and improve the surgical dexterity. We report seven cases of complete closed chest atrial septal defect closure using the "da Vinci" Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Mountain View, CA). METHODS: Following peripheral cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), aortic occlusion and cardioplegia delivery, five patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) and two patients with patent forame ovale (PFO) with atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) were successfully treated using the robotic system...