Patent foramen ovale (PFO)

We understand how worried you are, especially if your infant or child is the one diagnosed with a patent foramen ovale (pronounced foh-RAY-mun oh-VAY-lee). At Aurora, every team member you see, from our specialists to support staff, will treat you with patience and compassion to get the expert care you need for you or your little one.

What is patent foramen ovale?

A patent foramen ovale, or PFO, is a hole in the heart that didn’t close naturally. The hole is in the wall that separates the heart’s top two chambers, or atria.

PFO is quite common, with about one in four people having this condition. Some may not even know they have patent foramen ovale. Heart symptoms with this condition are rare. Doctors usually detect the hole during a test or treatment for another health issue.

Most of the time, you don’t need to do anything about PFO. If you do need treatment, we often can repair the hole with a minimally invasive procedure.

Patent foramen ovale symptoms

A PFO rarely creates any symptoms. That’s why you may not even know there is an issue. Sometimes, the condition can cause a lot of blood to bypass your lungs, giving you low oxygen levels.

In some rare cases, babies may develop a bluish color when they cry or strain during a bowel movement. Often they have other, detectable heart defects.

Patent foramen ovale causes

We don’t know exactly why a PFO develops. It may be genetic, meaning it runs in families. The condition also seems to be found more frequently in people who regularly have migraines with auras.

Patent foramen ovale diagnosis

In adults, we don’t usually look for a patent foramen ovale unless you have severe migraines, a stroke or transient ischemic attacks, which are small strokes. Researchers think there may be a connection between PFOs and later developing strokes for unknown reasons.

To diagnose a PFO, we often use an echocardiogram. This is a heart ultrasound that creates images of your heart’s structures. If you have a hole in your heart, your doctor is likely to see it with this test.

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

PFO heart treatment

The good news is that we often don’t need to close the patent foramen ovale or provide any other treatment. You can enjoy a completely normal, active and healthy life. But sometimes, your doctor may recommend PFO heart treatment. This might include:

• Cardiac catheterization: In this minimally invasive PFO heart treatment procedure, your doctor uses a specialized, thin tube called a catheter to close the hole with a small device.
  
• Surgery: If you’re already having heart surgery for another reason, your surgeon may close the hole at the same time.
  

• Lifestyle changes: Your doctor will let you know if you should:
• Avoid activities that could limit your oxygen level, like traveling to high altitudes
• Be careful when scuba diving as you’re more likely to develop decompression sickness