Atrial Anomalies Predict Silent Atrial Fibrillation Detected by Implantable Cardiac Monitor in Cryptogenic Stroke

Cryptogenic stroke (CS) causes about 30% of admissions to a stroke unit. Silent paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is believed to be the underlying cause of a significant proportion of patients. The use of implantable cardiac monitors (ICM) early after the CS has demonstrated benefits in the diagnostic yield, but the indication for ICM in the current guidelines remains unclear. Atrial contraction strain (ACS) evaluated by cardiac ultrasound could be of help to select the patients more prone to suffer from silent PAF. The purpose of this investigation is to conduct a randomized prospective unicentric study to evaluate the usefulness of ICM for early detection of silent PAF episodes in patients with CS. Clinical and ultrasound predictors of PAF occurrence (ACS) will be studied in order to define patients needing a closer follow-up.