Table 1 Characteristics of studies included into meta-analysis.
Study | Year | Country | Imaging method | Type of study | Preregistration | Interatrial septum related exclusion criteria | Cryptogenic stroke patients | Non-stroke patients (control) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
All patients, n | Patients with LSSP, n | Patients without LSSP, n | Age, years, mean ± SD | Group characteristic | Cryptogenic stroke definition | All patients, n | Patients with LSSP, n | Patients without LSSP, n | Age, years, mean ± SD | Group characteristic | |||||||
Tugcu et al.3 | 2010 | USA | TEE | Case-control study | Local ethics committee | Presence of PFO, closed pouch, right-sided septal pouch and ASD | 69 | 22 | 47 | 69.7 ± 8.4 | Consecutive patients with first acute ischemic stroke | Modified TOAST criteria (modification not specified) | 156 | 46 | 111 | 67.0 ± 8.4 | NOMAS database patients: age, sex, and race/ethnicity matched |
Wayangankar et al.21 | 2013 | USA | TEE | No information | -* | Presence of PFO and ASD | 66 | 9 | 57 | -* | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE | Ischemic stroke with absence of atrial septal defect or shunt, atrial fibrillation, > 4 mm aortic arch plaque, and flow-limiting carotid disease (as determined by ultrasound or computed tomographic imaging) | 500 | 51 | 449 | -* | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE |
Wong et al.16 | 2015 | USA | TEE | Retrospective study | Local ethics committee | Presence of PFO and ASD | 23 | 7 | 16 | Mean: 57 Range: 16–90# | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE | Modified TOAST criteria: ischemic strokes with multiple competing identified etiologies were excluded from the cryptogenic category | 106 | 15 | 91 | Mean: 57 Range: 16–86# | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE |
Yilmaz et al.22 | 2016 | Turkey | CT | Case-control study | Local ethics committee | Presence of PFO, ASD and ASA | 40 | 13 | 27 | 42.0 ± 6.7 | 18–55 years old patients with the acute stroke | Modified TOAST criteria: stroke of cause that was unknown despite extensive routine diagnostic examinations | 40 | 10 | 30 | 42.5 ± 7.1 | Sex-matched healthy controls |
Strachinaru et al.24 | 2016 | Belgium | TEE | Retrospective study | Local ethics committee | -* | 45 | 7 | 38 | 55.0 ± 13.0 | Consecutive patients admitted into the stroke unit undergoing TEE | The patients who had no definite source of cardioembolism, large artery atherosclerosis, or small artery disease despite extensive vascular, cardiac, and serologic evaluation | 223 | 42 | 181 | 65.0 ± 15.0 | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE |
Sun et al.25 | 2016 | China | TEE | Retrospective study | Local ethics committee | Presence of PFO and ASD | 31† | 10 | 21 | 61.0 ± 12.0 (total population) | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE† | Ischemic stroke without definite source of thromboembolism | 293 | 48 | 245 | 61.0 ± 12.0 (total population) | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE |
Hołda et al.7 | 2018 | Poland | TEE | Retrospective study | Local ethics committee | Presence of PFO, ASD and ASA | 126 | 70 | 56 | 43.1 ± 11.1 | Consecutive patients with first acute ischemic stroke | Modified TOAST criteria: cryptogenic stroke as an ischemic stroke in patients who had no definite source of cardioembolism, no large artery atherosclerosis, and no small-artery disease and for whom the cause of stroke was not defined despite extensive evaluation | 137 | 56 | 81 | 45.3 ± 10.0 | Consecutive patients, age and race/ethnicity matched |
Kapoor et al.23 | 2021 | USA | TEE | Retrospective study | Local ethics committee | Presence of PFO and ASD | 67 | 29 | 38 | 58.2 ± 1.2 | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE | Modified TOAST criteria: ischemic strokes with multiple competing identified etiologies were excluded from the cryptogenic category | 144 | 41 | 103 | 55.9 ± 1.2 | Consecutive patients undergoing TEE |
