Background: : Strokes of the undetermined cause or cryptogenic strokes (CS) account for 30-40% of ischemic strokes. Paradoxical embolism secondary to patent foramen ovale (PFO) may be associated with CS. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) with bubble contrast is a noninvasive bedside tool for diagnosis of right-to-left shunt (RLS) with high sensitivity and specificity. Data on the prevalence of PFO in CS in India are lacking. We determined the prevalence of RLS likely secondary to PFO in cryptogenic young strokes of the north Indian population using TCD with bubble contrast.
Patients and methods: : In this hospital-based prospective cross-sectional study, TCD with bubble contrast was performed in 57 young (age 15 > 45 years) CS and 50 healthy controls for the detection of RLS. The risk of paradoxical embolism (RoPE) score was calculated from various variables such as age, presence of cortical stroke on neuroimaging, and absence of vascular risk factors.
Results: : 57 young CS and 50 healthy controls were recruited. TCD with bubble contrast was positive in 31% cases vs 6% in controls (P = 0.001). All patients with TCD positive for RLS had superficial cortical infarcts (P = 0.03). The median RoPE score of our patients was 9 (range: 7-10).
Conclusions: : There is a high prevalence of RLS likely secondary to PFO in cryptogenic young strokes in north India. TCD with bubble contrast is an excellent bedside tool for the detection of RLS.
Keywords: Cryptogenic stroke; patent foramen ovale; right-to-left shunt; stroke in young.