A foramen ovale is a hole in the heart. The small hole naturally exists in babies who are still in the womb for fetal circulation. It should close soon after birth. If it doesn’t close ...

Patent foramen ovale and atrial septal aneurysm have been identified as potential risk factors for stroke, but information about their effect on the risk of recurrent stroke is limited.

High-risk patent foramen ovale was independently linked to a higher risk for decompression illness in scuba divers. Divers with high-risk PFO should use a more conservative protocol or refrain ...

Whether closure of a patent foramen ovale is effective in the prevention of recurrent ischemic stroke in patients who have had a cryptogenic stroke is unknown. We conducted a trial to evaluate ...

Messe SR, Silverman IE, Kizer JR, et al. Practice parameter: recurrent stroke with patent foramen ovale and atrial septal aneurysm: report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American ...

However, it has links with patent foramen ovale, which can increase the risk of stroke and arterial embolisms. Embolisms occur when something, often a blood clot, gets into the bloodstream and ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...