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A shortcut in the heart.

Publication: Harvard Heart Letter
Publication Date: 01-DEC-02 		Format: Online - approximately 1333 words
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Full Article Title: A shortcut in the heart.(patent foramen ovale)

Article Excerpt
Patent foramen ovale causes no problems in most people. But it may explain some mysterious strokes.

Many adults carry in their hearts a secret reminder of life before birth - a small and usually unused passage between the heart's two upper chambers. It's called a patent foramen ovale (PAY-tent foe-RAY-men oh-VAH-lee).

Although one in eight people has this hidden opening, 99% or more never know it's there. Sometimes, though, this connection between the right atrium and the left can make trouble. If it's large enough, it can cause breathlessness, lung disease, or an enlarged heart. Even a small connection can open the door to strokes. And it's a potential problem for people who like underwater diving (see Dangerous dives? below).

Repairing a problematic patent foramen ovale (PFO) once meant open-heart surgery. So doctors traditionally did this only for the most serious cases. Today, much simpler procedures are nudging experts to reevaluate when a patent foramen ovale should be closed.

The stroke connection

Each day, more than 1,600 Americans suffer a stroke. Most of these occur when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain. Sometimes doctors can find what caused the clot. Sometimes they can't. These mystery strokes are...

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