Patent foramen ovale

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

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Patent foramen ovale

A patent foramen ovale (PAY-tent for-amen oh-VALL-ee) (PFO) is a small channel that has little hemodynamic consequence. Clinically it is linked to decompression sickness, paradoxical embolism and migraine. On echocardiography, there may not be any shunting of blood noted except when the patient coughs.

There is a debate within the neurology and cardiology communities about the role of a PFO in cryptogenic (ie of unknown cause) neurologic events, e.g. strokes and transient ischemia attacks (TIAs) without any other potential cause. In addition, there is some data to suggest that PFOs may be involved in the pathogenesis of some migraine headaches. Several clinical trials are currently underway to investigate the role of PFO in these clinical situations.