A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is present in approximately 25% of all adults. Author David M. Kent, MD, MS, of Tufts Medical Center and JAMA Associate Editor David Simel, MD, MHS, discuss how to evaluate the likelihood that a PFO was causal in a patient with a cryptogenic ischemic stroke, and closure of a PFO to lower the incidence of recurrent strokes for affected patients. Related Content:

• Patent Foramen Ovale and Stroke
• Patent Foramen Ovale and Dysarthria in a Man in His 60s
• Management of Patients With a Patent Foramen Ovale With History of Stroke or TIA
• Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects in an Analysis of Pooled Individual Patient Data From Randomized Trials of Device Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale After Stroke
• Transesophageal Echocardiogram Detecting a High-Risk Patent Foramen Ovale

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JAMA Editors' Summary