Table 3.
Frequency of ischemic brain lesions among patients with an acute PE, with or without PFO.
| References | Study population | Diagnostic | Frequency of ischemic brain injuries (PFO vs. Non PFO) | Days to intervention after admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Moigne et al. (24) | Acute PE (n = 315): • PFO (n = 42) • Non PFO (n = 273) |
cMRI TTE |
Silent or symptomatic IBL 21.4% (9/42) vs. 5.5% (15/273) Symptomatic IBL 9.5% (4/42) vs. 1.5% (4/273) CS 16.7% (7/42) vs. 1.8% (5/273) |
cMRI and TTE: 7 days |
| Vindiš et al. (25) | Acute PE (n = 78): • PFO (n = 31) • Non PFO (n = 47) 12 month follow-up (n = 58) |
cMRI TTE/TEE |
At Baseline 64.5% (20/31) vs. 40.4% (19/47); p = 0.06 At follow up New IBL 33.3% (7/21) vs. 5.4% (2/37); p = 0.008 |
TEE and TTE baseline TTE: 12 month follow up cMRI (baseline, 12 month follow up) |
| Doyen et al. (26) | Intermediate risk PE (n = 41) • PFO (n = 23) • Non PFO (n = 18) |
cMRI TTE/TEE |
17.1% (n = 7) (PFO in all cases, 30.4% with PFO had an IBL) |
TTE/TEE: 1–3 days cMRI: 5 ± 4 days |
| Clergeau et al. (14) | Acute PE (n = 60) • PFO (n =15) • Non PFO (n = 45) |
cMRI TTE |
33.3% (5/15) vs. 2.2% (1/45) p = 0.003 |
cMRI: 3 ± 1 days |
| Konstantinides et al. (27) | Acute PE (n = 139) • PFO (n = 48) • Non PFO (n = 91) |
cCT or Autopsy | 13% (6/48) vs. 2.2% (2/91), p = 0.02 |
22 ± 17 days |
| Goliszek et al. (28) | Acute PE (n = 55) • PFO(n = 19) • Non PFO (n = 36) |
cMRI TTE |
21% (4/19) vs. 0% (0/36) P = 0.02 |
cMRI: 4.91 ± 4.1 days TTE: N/A |
PFO indicates patent foramen ovale; PE: pulmonary embolism; cMRI: cranial magnetic resonance imaging; TTE: transthoracic echocardiography; TEE: transesophageal echocardiography; IBL: ischemic brain lesions; N/A: not available.