There is no clear-cut chance of a cerebral infarction being caused by a patent foramen ovale, but a patent foramen ovale is one of the causes of cerebral infarction.
The foramen ovale is the passageway between the right and left atria of the heart during embryonic development, and it usually closes gradually within 1 year after birth due to increased pressure in the left atrium; if it does not close, it is called foramen ovale insufficiency. The incidence of patent foramen ovale is high in the population, about 1 in 4. However, it is usually asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and can be easily overlooked, and is most often detected by physical examination.
Unenclosed foramen ovale may lead to the development of cerebral infarction through mechanisms such as paradoxical embolism, which can occur when a thrombus forms in the venous system as a result of an infection or other factors, and the embolus passes through the unenclosed foramen ovale from the right atrium into the left atrium, where it travels with the circulation to reach the cerebral blood vessels, which can lead to a cerebral infarction.
There is no clear probability of cerebral infarction caused by patent foramen ovale, but it is clear that patent foramen ovale is one of the causes of cerebral infarction, and it should be treated as early as possible to prevent cerebral infarction when there is patent foramen ovale.