Relation between cryptogenic ischemic stroke and patent foramen ovale in young and middle-aged adults

Abstract

Objective To compare the prevalence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in young and middle-aged patients with cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CS) and in normal population.Methods The casecontrol study included consecutive 318 young and middle-aged patients with CS and 336 normal control subjects with matched age and sex for group comparisons.Stroke risk factors including hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hyperlipidemia,ischemic heart disease,atrial fibrillation,carotid atherosclerosis plagues and smoking,etc.were studied.Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) were performed to detect the presence of PFO.The prevalence of PFO and difference of risk factor levels between the groups was compared.Then the odds ratios (OR) of a PFO was estimated in CS patients versus control subjects.Results The prevalence of PFO was significant higher in patients with CS than in control subjects (145/318,45.6 ％ versus 46/336,13.7％,P ＜0.001).The odds ratio(OR) for PFO in CS for patients versus control subjects was 5.3 (confidence interval,3.6 to 7.8).The mean size of PFO was larger in stroke group than that in control group (P ＜ 0.001).There were no significant differences in levels of other stroke risk factors between two groups.Conclusions PFO may play an important role in etiology of CS in young and middleaged adults.Larger and longer PFOs may be more concomitant with ischemic attacks.More efforts should be employed in patients with CS to detect PFO for further treatment. Key words: Echocardiography, transesophageal ; Stroke ; Foramen ovale, paten