[Patent foramen ovale - an unsuspected defect in the body].

PFO-closure for secondary stroke prevention proved to be superior over medical therapy. This was shown in several meta-analyses of the three large randomized trials. According to the current evidence, PFO-closure should be the preferred therapy in this setting. PFO-closure for primary prevention makes sense and should be considered in patients with a disease associated with PFO (e.g. migraine, sleep apnea).