Med Klin
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The prevalence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in healthy individuals is estimated to be about 25% and is elevated to 40% patients with stroke. To date transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was considered to be the most sensitive method to detect PFO and was regarded as the gold standard. Transcranial Doppler sonography of the middle cerebral artery during contrast injection (c-TCD) has recently been proposed as an alternative method for the detection of PFO. We report our experience on 45 patients (age < 55 years) with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in whom both c-TCD and TEE were performed to detect PFO as a mechanism for embolic cerebral ischemia. ⋯ TEE and c-TCD are not concurrent diagnostic tools to detect PFO. Both supplement each other. If both methods are used in all PFO-suspected patients, PFO detection rate is higher than when using either method alone.