Who benefits from percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale vs medical therapy for stroke prevention? In-depth and updated meta-analysis of randomized trials.

A few randomized clinical trials (RCT) and their meta-analyses have found patent foramen ovale closure (PFOC) to be beneficial in prevention of stroke compared to medical therapy. Whether the benefit is extended across all groups of patients remains unclear.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of PFOC vs medical therapy in different groups of patients presenting with stroke, we performed this meta-analysis of RCTs.Electronic search of PubMed,...