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NYU Comprehensive Stroke Care Center Expert Available to Discuss Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Surgery Following His Second Stroke

Dr. Keith Siller, Medical Director of the NYU Comprehensive Stroke Care Center and Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU School of Medicine, is available to speak about Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s second stroke and the surgical procedure used to close a tiny hole in his heart, which is believed to have caused his mild stroke in December. Dr. Siller is principal investigator at NYU Medical Center for the Closure 1 study, a national multi-center study launched to identify patients with holes in their hearts. Dr. Siller says these holes can cause strokes in patients under age 60 with no other risk factors. However, patients who are older and obese are at greater risk. Dr. Siller says, “It’s not uncommon for someone to have another stroke in the first 30 days after a stroke.” He adds, “The prognosis will depend on whether the second stroke is mild or more serious and whether it is on the same side or a different side.”