- Furlan AJ, Reisman M, Massaro J, et al. Closure or medical therapy for cryptogenic stroke with patent foramen ovale. N Engl J Med 2012; 366: 991–
A multicenter, randomized, open-label trial of closure with a percutaneous device, as compared with medical therapy alone, in patients between 18 and 60 years of age who presented with a cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and had a patent foramen ovale. The primary end point was a composite of stroke or transient ischemic attack during 2 years of follow-up, death from any cause during the first 30 days, or death from neurologic causes between 31 days and 2 years.
Results:
Primary end point was 5.5% in the closure group as compared with 6.8% in the medical-therapy group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.45 to 1.35; P = 0.37)
Conclusion:
“In patients with cryptogenic stroke or TIA who had a patent foramen ovale, closure
with a device did not offer a greater benefit than medical therapy alone for the
prevention of recurrent stroke or TIA”
- 2 Saver JL, Carroll JD, Thaler DE, et al. Long-term outcomes of patent foramen ovale closure or medical therapy after stroke. N Engl J Med 2017; 377: 1022–
A multicenter, randomised, open-label trial ,randomly assigned patients 18 to 60 years of age who had a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and had had a cryptogenic ischemic stroke to undergo closure of the PFO (PFO closure group) or to receive medical therapy alone (aspirin, warfarin, clopidogrel, or aspirin combined with extended-release dipyridamole; medical-therapy group). The primary efficacy end point was a composite of recurrent nonfatal ischemic stroke, fatal ischemic stroke, or early death after randomisation.
Results:
Recurrent ischemic stroke occurred in 18 patients in the PFO closure group and in 28 patients in the medical-therapy group, resulting in rates of 0.58 events per 100 patient-years and 1.07 events per 100 patient years, respectively (hazard ratio 0.55; 0.31 – 0.999; P = 0.046)
Conclusion:
“Among adults who had had a cryptogenic ischemic stroke, closure of a PFO was associated with a lower rate of recurrent ischemic strokes than medical therapy alone during extended follow-up.”
- Meier B, Kalesan B, Mattle HP, et al. Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale in cryptogenic embolism. N Engl J Med 2013; 368: 1083–
A prospective, multicenter, randomised, event-driven trial, randomly assigned patients to medical therapy alone (anti-platelet or warfarin therapy) or closure of the patent foramen ovale.
Results:
9 patients in the closure group and 16 in the medical-therapy group had a recurrence of stroke (hazard ratio with closure, 0.49; 0.22 – 1.11; P = 0.08). The primary analysis of the intentionto- treat cohort showed a nominal 51% hazard rate reduction with closure, but the reduction did not reach significance.
Conclusions:
” …there was no significant benefit associated with closure of a patent foramen ovale in adults who had had a cryptogenic ischaemic stroke.”
- Sondergaard L, Kasner SE, Rhodes JF, et al. Patent foramen ovale closure or antiplatelet therapy for cryptogenic stroke. N Engl J Med 2017; 377: 1033–
Multinational trial involving patients with a PFO who had had a cryptogenic stroke, randomly assigned patients to undergo PFO closure plus antiplatelet therapy or to receive antiplatelet therapy alone.
Results:
During a median follow-up of 3.2 years, clinical ischemic stroke occurred in 6 of 441 patients (1.4%) in the PFO closure group and in 12 of 223 patients (5.4%) in the antiplatelet-only group (hazard ratio, 0.23; 0.09 to 0.62; P=0.002).
Conclusions:
“Among patients with a PFO who had had a cryptogenic stroke, the risk of subsequent ischemic stroke was lower among those assigned to PFO closure combined with antiplatelet therapy than among those assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone; however, PFO closure was associated with higher rates of device complications and atrial fibrillation.”
- Mas JL, Derumeaux G, Guillon B, et al. Patent foramen ovale closure or anticoagulation vs. antiplatelets after stroke. N Engl J Med 2017; 377: 1011–
In a multicenter, randomised, open-label trial patients 16-60 years of age who had had a recent stroke attributed to PFO, to transcatheter PFO closure plus long-term antiplatelet therapy, antiplatelet therapy alone or oral anticoagulation.
Results:
No stroke occurred among patients in the PFO closure group, whereas stroke occurred in 14 of the 235 patients in the antiplatelet- only group (hazard ratio, 0.03; 0 to 0.26; P<0.001). Large number of patients discontinued anti-coagulation in the anti-coagulant group and statistical significance was not analysed because the study was not adequately powered to compare outcomes.
Conclusion:
“Among patients who had had a recent cryptogenic stroke attributed to PFO with an associated atrial septal aneurysm or large interatrial shunt, the rate of stroke recurrence was lower among those assigned to PFO closure combined with antiplatelet therapy than among those assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone. PFO closure was associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation.”
- Lee PH, Song J-K, Kim JS, et al. Cryptogenic stroke and high-risk patent foramen ovale: the DEFENSE-PFO Trial. J Am Coll Cardiol 2018; 71: 2335–
Patients with cryptogenic stroke and high-risk PFO were divided between a transcatheter PFO closure and a medication-only group.
Results:
No events occurred in the PFO closure group. 12.9% of patients in the medication group had an event (p= 0.023).
Conclusion:
“PFO closure in patients with high-risk PFO characteristics resulted in a lower rate of the primary endpoint as well as stroke recurrence”
Dr Rohit Rajagopal is a senior staff specialist endocrinologist at Campbelltown hospital who has been in clinical practice for over 10 years. He is a general endocrinologist with a special interest in diabetes, especially diabetes in pregnancy, as well as andrology and metabolic bone disease. He is also involved in a number of clinical trials relating to diabetes. Dr Rajagopal is also a conjoint senior lecturer at the Western Sydney University and is heavily involved in the teaching of medical students and junior doctors. He also has a small but busy private practice locally with a wide referral base.
Dr John Barlow has been in Bankstown since in 1981. He obtained a Diploma in Sports Medicine from UNSW in 1983. He has strong interests in minor surgery, cardiovascular medicine and diabetes. He has changed his role from full time clinical medicine to a teaching role with younger GPs and peers as well as medical students from the University of Notre Dame. He is also involved in encouraging GPs to manage diabetes in their practice with the diabetes team including credentialled diabetes educators (CDE), dietitians and exercises physiologist. He has the following affiliations:
Dr Chee L Khoo has been a GP in Ingleburn since 1990. He has specific interests in complex and chronic illness, diabetes, obesity, IT in general practice and medical writing. He is the co-chair of the Education Working Party at DOMTRU. He has been involved in primary care education for 20 years. He is the GP Clinical Lead at the South West Sydney Healthpathways. He is a member of the RACGP’s Diabetes Specific Interest Group. He is a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at WSU and a Conjoint Lecturer at UNSW. He is the editor in chief at GPVoice.com.au.