Expert Consensus Statement For The Management Of Patients With Embolic Stroke Of Undetermined Source And Patent Foramen Ovale: A Clinical Guide By The Working Group For Stroke Of The Hellenic Society Of Cardiology And The Hellenic Stroke Organization

Abstract Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a frequent echocardiographic finding and can be found in approximately 15-25% of the general population1 ( Figure 1 ). The incidence of PFO is 2- to 3-fold higher in patients with stroke of undetermined etiology compared to the general population, a finding that implies a causative role of PFO in patients with stroke of undetermined etiology 2 , 3 . In this context, percutaneous PFO closure has been increasingly used as a strategy to prevent stroke recurrence in patients with stroke of no apparent cause 4 . During the recent years, evidence about the efficacy and safety of this strategy has accumulated through observational studies and well-designed randomized trials 10 , 11 , 12 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 .This paper is a consensus statement of expert panelists from the Hellenic Stroke Organization (HSO) and the Working Group for Stroke of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology (HSC) for the secondary prevention in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source and PFO. It aims to assist clinicians, patients/families and the Hellenic regulatory authorities to design optimal secondary prevention strategies for this patient population. The recommendations of the panelists are summarized in Table 1 .