Positive Long-Term Data Plug Doubts Over PFO-Closure Stroke Benefits

Data from the REDUCE, CLOSE, and RESPECT trials, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that closing a patent foramen ovale with a percutaneous closure device can reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in patients who have already had a cryptogenic stroke. Observers believe these trials showed a benefit of PFO closure in this population after previous trials failed to show a benefit largely because they did a better job of only selecting patients most likely to benefit.