An important role for patent foramen ovale in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke was first suggested by a case–control study that showed a markedly higher frequency of patent foramen ovale ...

Among patients 55 years of age or older with cryptogenic stroke, atherosclerotic plaque thickness was significantly less in patients with patent foramen ovale (2.78±1.56 mm) and in those with ...

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been linked to ischemic strokes of undetermined cause (cryptogenic strokes). PFO—a remnant of fetal circulation when the foramen ovale does not seal after birth ...

The persistently patent foramen ovale has been implicated in a variety of neurologic and embolic events, including transient ischemic attacks and stroke, decompression illness in divers, platypnea ...

Abstract. Several lines of evidence suggest that a patent foramen ovale (PFO) may increase the risk of ischemic stroke. In the late 1980s, for example, the first reports were published linking the ...

Most of the time, a patent foramen ovale doesn’t need to be treated. But there are procedures to close the opening, especially for people with PFO who are younger than age 60 and have already ...

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a failure of the atrial septa to fuse postpartum, potentially leading to right-to-left shunting, which may increase the risk of cerebrovascular events. The authors of ...

When is treatment for a patent foramen ovale necessary? DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I'm 36 and do not have any significant medical concerns, but due to a family member's heart health issues, ...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I'm 36 and do not have any significant medical concerns, but due to a family member's heart health issues, it was recommended I have a cardiac evaluation.

A “dose-response” relationship may exist between migraine and patent foramen ovale (PFO), according to a review published in Frontiers in Neurology. According to the American Heart Association ...

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a hole in the heart that doesn’t close as expected after birth. Before a baby is born, they have a hole between the left and right sides of their heart. This hole, ...

The possible link between patent foramen ovale and cryptogenic stroke and migraine headaches and treatment options for prevention of patent-foramen-ovale-related paradoxical embolism are discussed.