General Information About Patent Foramen Ovale
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
Since a baby's lungs are not functioning in the womb, there is a natural hole (foramen ovale) in its heart. PFO occurs when this hole does not close and remains open after the baby is born and takes its first breath (it remains open in 25% of the population).
ASD or VSD are significant tissue deficiencies that constantly strain the heart. A PFO, on the other hand, is like a thin flap (valve); it does not open unless pressure increases and does not increase the heart's workload.
A small clot forming in the leg veins normally gets caught in the lung filter. However, when a PFO is open, if the patient strains or coughs, the flap opens, and the clot can pass through this hole without entering the lungs, reaching the brain and causing a stroke.
It mostly causes no symptoms at all and does not even produce a heart murmur. It is only discovered incidentally during investigations of patients who suffer an unexplained (cryptogenic) stroke at a young age.
It is difficult to see on a standard heart ultrasound. Definitive diagnosis is made via a TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiography) swallowed through the mouth into the esophagus, combined with a Bubble Test (agitated saline injected from the arm) to visualize bubble transit in the heart.
Healthy individuals with a PFO who have not suffered a stroke are not intervened upon. However, for those who experience a stroke or recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIA) due to a PFO, it is closed angiographically via the groin by deploying an umbrella-shaped plug into the hole.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
