Patent foramen ovale or PFO is a congenital disorder found in up to 1 out of 4 or 25% of the entire population, and for patients with history of ischemic stroke, especially those whose causes are unknown, they have an even greater risk of having this condition. The significance of this condition is that, if you do not know that you have PFO and do not receive treatment for it, you will continue to have risk of experiencing recurrent stroke.
Do you know that most cases of PFO are asymptomatic but that they are related to the following diseases?

1.Recurrent ischemic stroke that cannot be fully cured or ischemic stroke occurring from a young age without the presence of other risk factors. People who experience facial palsy or weakness in the limbs without a known cause might have patent foramen ovale or PFO.
2.Migraine headaches. The condition can cause chronic and recurrent headaches.
3.In major cases of patent foramen ovale, people might also experience fatigue while exercising.

In what age groups can PFO be encountered?

Because PFO is a congenital condition, you can encounter it in any age group. In general, patients display no symptoms. Therefore, doctors recommend to screen for PFO when stroke occurs from a young age or when ischemic stroke occurs without a known cause.
How is PFO related to stroke?

PFO is a condition in which there is a small opening in the upper heart chambers that can cause small blood clots to obstruct the carotid arteries. Therefore, doctors caring for stroke patients have to try their best to identify the cause of the disease in order to determine the right treatment option.
How can you know that you have patent foramen ovale?

In screening for PFO, doctors perform transthoracic echocardiography with agitated saline. It is an easy and fast screening method that allows for accurate diagnosis of patent foramen ovale.
How can patent foramen ovale be treated once detected?

Today, there are technologies that can cure this condition. A small device can be inserted via a blood vessel at the groin and then to transfer it to the heart to seal the opening without surgery. The chance of being cured of this condition by sealing is as high as 100%, and the time it takes to perform this procedure is only about 15 minutes.
Is there a risk of recurrence after treating this condition?

The risk of experiencing recurrence of PFO is very low. Additionally, the sealing device is a special device that can effectively prevent a new opening from forming.
Self-care after Treatment

Patients whose PFO is closed recover for about 1 day in the hospital and take medications for about 6 months, such as anti-platelet medications, aspirin and clopidogrel. Afterwards, the patient can be off of all of these medications and return to normal living.

For people who enjoy deep-water diving and have PFO, small air bubbles might be created and cause ischemic stroke. Therefore, deep-water divers should receive screening for PFO, and people with PFO should be screened for its severity in order to determine the appropriate treatment method for the condition.