Closure of a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): An Intervention Sequence.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) persists in about one-quarter of people and is the source of up to 25% of all ischemic strokes, especially strokes in young adults. PFO can be easily diagnosed by transthoracic contrast and/or transesophageal echocardiography. Interventional closure of the PFO via the femoral vein is a commonly used cardiological procedure since several trials have demonstrated the superiority of PFO closure over standard medical therapy in patients with PFO and who have experienced post ischemic, cardioembolic, or cryptogenic stroke. The current paper and video show the procedure of PFO closure in a step-by-step manner.