title: Very long-term follow-up after percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the very long-term risk of recurrent thromboembolic events in patients treated by percutaneous PFO closure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1998 and 2008, a total of 232 consecutive patients with PFO and a high suspicion of paradoxical embolism were treated by percutaneous closure. The following major events were observed during hospitalisation: implantation failure (one patient) and appearance of an acute left-sided device thrombus requiring surgery (one patient). The primary endpoint of the study was a recurrent embolic event beyond at least five years' follow-up. During a mean follow-up of 7.6±2.4 years, this event occurred in five patients, representing a 0.28% annual/patient risk. Other major complications during follow-up were the following: late thrombus formation on the device (two patients) and transient atrial fibrillation (15 patients). Three patients died during follow-up from cardiovascular causes considered not related to the index procedure. The PFO was judged closed on follow-up echocardiography in 92.3% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term follow-up following percutaneous PFO closure for presumed paradoxical embolism reveals very low recurrence rates. This observation should be put in perspective with recent published randomised trials comparing percutaneous closure and medical therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eeckhout
authors.forename: Solenne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delabays
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Grégoire
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Girod
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019320:Embolism, Paradoxical / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D055989:Septal Occluder Device; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult