Details.
Percutaneous transcatheter closure of a patent foramen ovale to reduce the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke in predominantly 18 to 60 year old patients who have had a cryptogenic stroke due to a presumed paradoxical embolism. The procedure is performed under light or conscious sedation and local anesthesia using fluoroscopy and intracardiac echocardiography. Patients are usually discharged the same day or the next day on a single antiplatelet agent.