PARADOXICAL EMBOLISM - A CAUSE OF ISCHEMI C STROKE IN YOUNG-ADULTS

We report the case of a 45 year old patient who presented ischemic str oke due to the migration of a sural thrombus through a patient foramen ovale (PFO) during a Valsalva manoeuvre. The presence of PFO should b e systematically evoked in case of ischemic events, especially stroke in younger adults. The diagnosis is facilitated by two-dimensional con trast echography with intravenous administration of an echo-detectable contrast agent. The clinical context and the origin of the venous thr ombus in a superficial vein which remained during a stripping procedur e with migration through the communicating veins of the leg were excep tional.