This research project is in progress. PCORI will post the research findings on this page within 90 days after the results are final. In the meantime, results have been published in peer-reviewed journals, as listed below.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is commissioning an independent participant data meta-analysis to evaluate the benefits and harms of patent foramen ovale closure after cryptogenic stroke, which is a subtype of stroke that constitutes approximately 30 percent of all ischemic strokes.

Investigators will (1) perform a meta-analysis (pooled analysis) of individual patient data from six randomized clinical trials comparing patent foramen ovale closure with percutaneous devices plus medical therapy versus medical therapy alone, and (2) examine factors that influence which therapy is best for whom.

This work is an applied example of methods that researchers use for patient-centered outcomes research previously funded by PCORI at the Tufts Predictive Analytics Resource Center.