A quick PubMed search reveals an abundance of editorials, reviews, and opinion pieces on the subject of patent foramen ovale (PFO) management, and this is now the fourth published article on this topic that has adapted William Shakespeare’s classic words from Hamlet to describe the conundrum that faces neurologists, cardiologists, and their patients.1–3 The degree to which this title has been o...

We compared neuronal activity in the dorsolateral (PFdl), orbital (PFo), and polar (PFp) prefrontal cortex as monkeys performed three tasks. In two tasks, a cue instructed one of two strategies: stay with the previous response or shift to the alternative. Visual stimuli served as cues in one of these tasks; in the other, fluid rewards did so. In the third task, visuospatial cues instructed each...

Several lines of research indicate that emotional and motivational information may be useful in guiding the allocation of attentional resources. Two areas of the frontal lobe that are particularly implicated in the encoding of motivational information are the orbital prefrontal cortex (PFo) and the dorsomedial region of prefrontal cortex, specifically the anterior cingulate sulcus (PFcs). Howev...

Recent studies support the hypothesis of a close aetiological and pathogenic association between the presence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) and cryptogenic stroke. The therapeutic options currently used in the treatment of these patients range from standard antiaggregation and standard-dose anticoagulation to the percutaneous occlusion of the PFO. The use or recommendation of treatment is based...

BACKGROUND Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a potential risk factor for ischaemic stroke in young individuals. An interventional method of secondary stroke prevention in PFO patients is its percutaneous closure. AIM To assess safety and effectiveness (i.e. lack of residual shunt) of percutaneous PFO closure in patients with history of cryptogenic cerebrovascular event. METHODS 149 patients (56...

BACKGROUND In patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) there is evidence supporting the hypothesis of a change in right-to-left shunt (RLS) over time. Proven, this could have implications for the care of patients with PFO and a history of stroke. The following study addressed this hypothesis in a cohort of patients with stroke and PFO. METHODS The RLS volume assessed during hospitalisation fo...

INTRODUCTION Platelets play a major role in thromboembolic events. Increased mean platelet volume (MPV) indicates higher platelet reactivity and also a tendency to thrombosis. Patent foramen ovale (PFO), persistence of the fetal anatomic shunt between right and left atria, is strongly associated with cryptogenic stroke. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between MPV and PFO ...