Incidence of Patent Foramen Ovale in Ischemic Stroke Patients: A Transcranial Doppler Study

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 23(3); 2005 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2005;23(3): 313-317.

허혈성 뇌졸중 환자에서 난원공개증의 빈도: 경두개초음파 연구

장대일, 이미숙 조상희 부선희 정세희 허성혁 윤강욱 안태범 윤성상 정경천

경희대학교 의과대학 신경과학교실

Incidence of Patent Foramen Ovale in Ischemic Stroke Patients: A Transcranial Doppler Study

Dae-Il Chang

Department of Neurology, Kyunghee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Background: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is increasingly being recognized in stroke patients. The capability of transcranial Doppler (TCD) to detect a PFO has been established. We studied the frequency of PFO in patients with ischemic stroke.
Methods: Eighty-nine patients with ischemic stroke (62 men, mean age: 56.5) consecutively underwent a contrast-enhanced TCD with monitoring of the bilateral middle cerebral arteries (MCA). The contrast solution, which consisted of 8 ml of normal saline, 1 ml of air, and 0.2 ml of patient’s blood, was injected twice during normal breathing and the Valsalva maneuver. High intensity transient signals (HITS) were counted for 30 seconds after the injection.
Results: Patent foramen ovale was detected in 19 patients (21%). The mean age was similar in those with (55 years) and those without (57 years) PFO. Patent foramen ovale was more frequent among men (26%) than women (11%). There were no differences in the frequency of PFO among stroke subtypes (large artery atherosclerosis, 18%; small artery occlusion, 27%; cardioembolic, 27%; undetermined cause, 11%).
Conclusions: Patent foramen ovale is common in patients with ischemic stroke of all subtypes.KeyWords:Patent foramen ovale, Ischemic stroke