Patent Foramen OvaleSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Patent Foramen Ovale
Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a hole between the left and right atria (upper chambers) of the heart. This hole exists in everyone before birth, but most often closes shortly after being born. PFO is what the hole is called when it fails to close naturally after a baby is born.
PFO; Congenital heart defect - PFO
A patent foramen ovale allows blood to go around the lungs. A baby's lungs are not used when it grows in the womb, so the hole does not cause problems in an unborn infant.
The opening is supposed to close soon after birth, but sometimes it does not. In about 1 out of 4 people, the opening never closes. If it does not close, it is called a PFO.
The cause of a PFO is unknown. There are no known risk factors. It can be found along with other heart abnormalities such as atrial septal aneurysms or Chiari network.
Infants with a PFO and no other heart defects do not have symptoms. Some adults with PFOs suffer from migraine headaches.
This condition is not treated unless there are other heart problems, symptoms, or if the person had a stroke caused by a blood clot to the brain.
Treatment most often requires a procedure called cardiac catheterization, which is performed by a trained cardiologist to permanently seal the PFO. Open heart surgery is rarely used to treat this condition, unless another surgery is being performed at the same time.
New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
Shunichi Homma is an Internal Medicine provider in New York,, New York. Dr. Homma is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Patent Foramen Ovale. His top areas of expertise are Patent Foramen Ovale, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy, Parathyroidectomy, and Patent Foramen Ovale Repair.
Duke Cardiology Arringdon
As a fellowship trained adult congenital heart disease specialist and Director of the Adult Congenital Heart Center at Duke, I take care of a wide spectrum of heart problems, spanning from simple shunt lesions like patent foramen ovale, atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus, to more complicated disorders, like tetralogy of Fallot, Ebstein anomaly, transposition of the great arteries and single ventricles. I collaborate with my colleagues in adult and pediatric medicine to provide comprehensive health services including complex cardiac interventions like catheter-based pulmonary valve implantation, closure of aortopulmonary collaterals and coarctation stenting. I am also skilled at the non-invasive and invasive assessment of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Congenital heart disease is my passion and I strive to educate my patients, their doctors and our fabulous trainees in order to improve everyone's awareness of these challenging conditions. My spare time is spent mostly at home with my wife and 2 teenage boys. I enjoy participating in and watching all types of major sports and also enjoy traveling. Dr. Krasuski is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Patent Foramen Ovale. His top areas of expertise are Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Patent Foramen Ovale, Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), Heart Transplant, and Thrombectomy.
Aurora Cardiovascular Services
Tanvir Bajwa is an Interventional Cardiologist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dr. Bajwa is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Patent Foramen Ovale. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Patent Foramen Ovale, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), and Aortic Valve Replacement.
An infant who has no other heart defects will have normal health and life span.
Unless there are other defects, there are no complications from a PFO in most cases.
Some people may have a condition with shortness of breath and low arterial blood oxygen levels when sitting or standing. This is called platypnea-orthodeoxia. This is rare.
Rarely, people with PFOs may have a higher rate of a certain type of stroke (called paradoxical thromboembolic stroke). In a paradoxical stroke, a blood clot that develops in a vein (often leg veins) breaks free and travels to the right side of the heart. Normally, this clot would then continue to the lungs, but in someone with a PFO, the clot could pass through the hole to the left side of the heart. It may then be pumped out to the body, travel to the brain and become stuck there, preventing blood flow to that part of the brain (stroke).
When a person with a PFO also has a very mobile atrial septum, it may lead to a higher risk for having a stroke.
Some people may take medicines to prevent blood clots.
Contact your health care provider if your baby turns blue when crying or having a bowel movement, has difficulty feeding, or showing poor growth.
Summary: The Abbott Structural Heart (SH) Registry is being conducted to confirm the safety and performance of Abbott's SH devices in a post-market, real-world setting. The Registry primarily involves gathering data from routine hospital practices and standard-of-care (SOC) procedures administered to patients. All devices used in these procedures must be commercially available to the participating site. A ...
Summary: Every fetus has a small hole in their heart, called a foramen ovale when they are developing in the womb. For most people this hole closes shortly after birth, but it doesn't close completely in 1 out of every 4 people. This is called a patent foramen ovale, or PFO. In people with a PFO it is possible for a blood clot in a vein to enter the heart, pass through the opening, and then go into an arte...
Published Date: October 01, 2025
Published By: Thomas S. Metkus MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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