A member asked:

Have had stroke, had toe test on heart found pfo tunnel with right left shunt permanently. and prominent ev. should this be closed?

6 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Dr. Christopher White answered

Specializes in Cardiology

Not yet: I question your right to left permanent shunt. In otherwise normal hearts the pressure on the left side is higher, making right to left shunting episodic at best. The current trials do not support closure of pfos to prevent stroke.

Answered 6/21/2015

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Probably: I think you mean a tee (transesophageal echo). Pfo's are common (present in 10-20% of all people) and generally do not need any intervention, although they would normally be expected to shunt almost exclusively left to right, even with a prominent eustachian valve. After a stroke or even recurrent tias (temporary ministrokes), most would close a pfo with a catheter procedure (rather than surgery).

Answered 3/16/2014

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Related Questions

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Does a PFO (patent foramen ovale) ever cause a heart murmur ?

6 doctors weighed in across 2 answers