Incidence of Asymptomatic Patent Foramen Ovale According to Age

Background: Incidentally discovered asymptomatic patent foramen ovale (PFO) is now more common because of the prevalent use of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (1), but optimal management is unclear. An often-cited autopsy study reported that the incidence of PFO decreases with age, suggesting that some PFOs may close spontaneously or that patients with PFOs may have higher mortality (2–4).

Objective: To examine the frequency by age of incidentally discovered PFO among a cohort of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery.

Methods: We reviewed the intraoperative transesophageal echocardiograms of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery between 1995 …