Transcatheter foramen ovale closure (TPC) has emerged as a potential treatment option for patients with cryptogenic strokes and persistent foramen ovale (PFO). However, previous randomized controlled trials could hardly demonstrate any benefit compared to medical treatment (Med-Tx). Recently new data have become available which may change current practice of transcatheter PFO closure.

A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing TPC and Med-Tx based on all available multicentric randomized controlled trials was performed. The primary outcome of interest was the recurrence of stroke in both groups.

Five studies met the inclusion criteria with 1829 patients in the TPC and 1622 in the Med-Tx group. The median follow-up was 4 years. In the intention-to-treat analysis we found a statistically significant relative risk reduction in recurrence of strokes in the TPC group compared to the Med-Tx group (pooled hazard ratio (HR): 0.32; 95% CI: 0.13–0.8; P = .018). Excluding one study due to potential publication bias resulted in a pooled HR of 0.48 (95% CI: 0.25–0.91, P = .024). Patients younger than 45 years of age (pooled HR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16–0.75; P = .007) and those with moderate to severe shunt (pooled HR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.14–0.55; P < .001) were more likely to benefit from closure.

According to our meta-analysis TPC plus antiplatelets was superior in terms of stroke prevention when compared to Med-Tx. Furthermore, patients with moderate to severe shunts and those younger than 45 years of age were found to benefit most from TPC.