Aims
Transcatheter patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure has been shown to lower recurrent stroke in patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) with an indication for closure. However, the incidence of recurrent stroke is not negligible and underlying pathogenic mechanisms remain largely unknown. We sought to evaluate the prevalence of recurrent CS/TIA and to assess its predictors after transcatheter PFO closure.
Methods
We enrolled consecutive patients who underwent PFO closure for secondary prevention of neurological ischemic events at the University Hospital of Parma between 2006 and 2021. For each subject, CS/TIA index event was diagnosed after exclusion of alternative etiologies, PFO features were characterized by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), the Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (ROPE) score was retrospectively assessed and the presence of migraine was investigated. Clinical follow-up was scheduled with outpatient visits at 3 – 12 months and yearly thereafter device implantation; the primary outcome was the recurrence of any ischemic neurological event.
Results
We enrolled a total of 169 patients with mean Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (ROPE) score at hospital admission of 6.4 ± 1.5. The primary indication for PFO closure was previous CS (94 [55.6%] subjects), followed by TIA (75 [44.4%]). Among patients with complete outcome data (n= 154), after a median follow-up of 112 months, recurrent cerebral ischemia occurred in 13 [8.4%], with an annualized rate of 0.92/100 patients. The presence of obesity [OR 5.268, p = 0.018], ROPE score < 7 [OR 5.991, p = 0.035] and migraine [OR = 5.932 p = 0.012] were independent positive predictors of recurrent stroke/TIA after PFO closure.
Conclusion
In our study, recurrent cerebral events after PFO closure were not negligible, with an annualized rate of 0.92/100 patients, consistent with prior research. Multiple heterogeneous predictors were identified: the presence of obesity, ROPE score < 7 and migraine were independent positive predictors of recurrent stroke/TIA after PFO closure