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 PFO is quite common, with prevalence estimates between 10% to 27.3% of subjects as determined by ultrasound and autopsy studies, respectively. PFO occurs with equal frequency in men and women and tends to decrease in prevalence with increasing age. Associations between PFO and atrial septal aneurysm, Chiari network, and mitral valve prolapse have been demonstrated; however, there are no clear clinical predictors of the presence of PFO in otherwise asymptomatic subjects. Potential medical complications of a PFO include paradoxical embolism, cryptogenic stroke, and right to left nitrogen embolism in severe decompression illness.
The association between PFO and these pathologic processes has led to the development of percutaneous closure techniques.
Source: Hagen PT, Scholz DG, Edwards WD. Incidence and size of patent foramen ovale during the first 10 decades of life: an autopsy study of 965 normal hearts. Mayo Clinic Proc 1984; 59:17-20.
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