Episode
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): A Hidden Link in Stroke, TIA, Migraine and More — When to Close the Hole in the Heart
- Podcast
- The Naked Heart
- Published
- Sep 11, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 1335
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/7587ac6c
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-naked-heart-7051353/episodes/patent-foramen-ovale-pfo-a-hidden-link-in-stroke-tia-migraine-and-more-when-to-close-the-hole-in-the-heart/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-naked-heart-7051353/patent-foramen-ovale-pfo-a-hidden-link-in-stroke-tia-migraine-and-more-when-to-close-the-hole-in-the-heart.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Before birth, the foramen ovale is a vital foetal opening between the right and left atria, allowing oxygen-rich placental blood to bypass the inactive lungs. After the first breath, pressure in the left atrium increases, closing the flap naturally. In around 25% of adults, the flap does not seal fully — this persistent communication is called a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) which is an important cause of cryptogenic stroke. All standard tests including an echocardiogram can be normal- it can be only be diagnosed using a bubble contrast study and once diagnosed, treatment with clam shell closure is high effective. Read full blog