Abstract
Author's Reply To the Editor, We would like to thank the authors for their valuable comments on our review. We agree that all patients with acute ischemic stroke should undergo transthoracic echocardiography; not only for revealing wall motion abnormalities, but also for possible detection of patent foramen ovale as a risk factor in patients with cryptogenic stroke.
Non-invasive techniques are preferred when screening for silent coronary artery disease in patients with stroke. Besides myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, coronary computed tomography angiography seems to be a good option as well.
It is very accurate and has a high negative predictive value. Selecting high-risk patients who should undergo these examinations still needs to be defined.