title: [Patent foramen ovale in the adult: state of the art in 2010].
abstract: A patent foramen ovale (PFO) can be found in 25% of the normal population. Several pathologies have been related to PFO as paradoxical embolism, migraine with aura and decompression illness in divers. Finding a PFO in a young patient suffering a stroke and/or TIA is the most common situation in daily practice and where the therapeutic attitude is most controversial. Should we treat the patient with aspirin, with coumadin or should we proceed to a percutaneous closure? We think that only an open discussion with the patient explaining the pros and contras of each strategy is reasonable, because the only randomised study, CLOSURE I, comparing medical treatment with percutaneous closure has shown no difference between these two strategies in terms of clinical events at two years.
authors.affiliation: Département cardiovasculaire, Hôpital de La Tour, Avenue J.-D. Maillard, 3 1217 Meyrin, Genève. edb@latour.ch
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Benedetti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans