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, ...

This Journal feature begins with a case vignette highlighting a common clinical problem. Evidence supporting various strategies is then presented, followed by a review of formal guidelines, when they ...

Patients hospitalized for pulmonary embolism were four times more likely to have had a recent ischemic stroke if they also had patent foramen ovale, according to a study published in the Annals of ...

Studies to date have shown an association between the presence of patent foramen ovale and cryptogenic stroke in patients younger than 55 years of age. This association has not been established in ...

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . The persistently patent foramen ovale has been implicated in a variety of neurologic and embolic events, ...

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—can ...

† New-onset migraine was noted in ten patients. ASD: Atrial septal defect; NA: Not assessed; NR: Not reported; PFO: Patent foramen ovale. The following arguments support the hypothesis that ...

Before birth, the fetal heart has an opening called the foramen ovale between the right and left atria. This allows blood to bypass the lungs and be directed straight to the left side of the ...

A patent foramen ovale or PFO is a defect in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart. This defect is actually an incomplete closure of the atrial wall that results in a flap or valve-like ...

A patent foramen ovale is an opening that some adults have between the top two chambers of their hearts. Everyone has this opening early in life, but it often seals during infancy. In some people, ...

† New-onset migraine was noted in ten patients. ASD: Atrial septal defect; NA: Not assessed; NR: Not reported; PFO: Patent foramen ovale. The following arguments support the hypothesis that ...

This section describes efficacy outcomes from the published literature that the Committee considered as part of the evidence about this procedure. For more detailed information on the evidence, see ...