Patent Foramen Ovale: Innocent or Guilty?
Evidence From a Prospective Population-Based Study
Irene Meissner, MD*,||,*,
Bijoy K. Khandheria, MD ,
John A. Heit, MD*,
George W. Petty, MD*,
Sheldon G. Sheps, MD ,
Gary L. Schwartz, MD ,
Jack P. Whisnant, MD ,
David O. Wiebers, MD*,||,
Jody L. Covalt¶,
Tanya M. Petterson||,
Teresa J.H. Christianson|| and
Yoram Agmon, MD*
* Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
|| Division of Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
¶ Stroke Research Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
|| Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

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Figure 1 Kaplan-Meier estimate of survival free of cerebrovascular events in 577 subjects according to presence of patent foramen ovale (PFO).
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Figure 2 Kaplan-Meier estimate of survival free of cerebrovascular events in 585 subjects according to presence of atrial septal aneurysm (ASA).
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Figure 3 Kaplan-Meier estimate of survival free of cerebrovascular events in 585 subjects according to presence of venous thromboembolism (VTE).
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Figure 4 Detection of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in different populations. Pop Cntrl = population-based randomly selected controls; Pop Crypto = population-based cryptogenic stroke; Ref Cntrl = referred control subjects/patients; Ref Crypto = referred cryptogenic stroke patients.
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