What are the long-term outcomes of patent foramen ovale closure or medical therapy after stroke?
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2017 found that while patent foramen ovale closure was associated with improved outcomes in the short-term, there were no significant differences in long-term outcomes between the closure and medical therapy groups. The study found that the overall risk of stroke, death, and composite of stroke or death was similar in both the closure and medical therapy groups after four years of follow-up.