Foreword

Article Outline

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With the widespread availability and use of echocardiography, the presence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) is being increasingly diagnosed. In step with the diagnosis of the PFO, several associated clinical problems (eg, cryptogenic stroke, migraine) have been recognized. Also, the techniques of percutaneous closure of PFO and of closure devices have been developed. The field has progressed rapidly; as a result, these have become an important part of interventional therapeutic cardiology.

In this issue, Dr Holmes and his coauthors, all of whom are experts in the field, have prepared a critical, comprehensive, state-of-the-art and authoritative review of this topic. It has 83 references. The Associate Editors and I are grateful to them for an excellent article and we also thank E. Murat Tuzcu, MD,^⁎ for his comments.

• ⁎ E. Murat Tuzcu, MD, is Professor of Medicine, Vice Chairman, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.