Clinical and echocardiographic outcomes after percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale: a single center experience.

Background: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has a high estimated prevalence (25% of the general population) and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cryptogenic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), as well as in the pathogenesis of migraine headache. This study evaluated the effectiveness of percutaneous transcatheter PFO closure with Amplatzer (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA) devices, from a large single-center experience.

Methods: From January 1998 to December 2014, 577 patients (243 males and 334 females, mean age 50 years, range 11-82 years) with documented PFO and history of at least one episode of cryptogenic stroke/TIA (N.