Can fixing the heart fix the head?
ATLANTA, GA (March 13, 2006)–A study presented today during the American College of Cardiology’s inaugural Innovation in Intervention: The i2 Summit 2006 in Atlanta, Ga., will answer intriguing questions about whether repairing a hole in the heart known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) can ease the pain of severe migraine headaches. Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit is an annual meeting for practicing cardiovascular interventionalists sponsored by the American College of Cardiology in partnership with the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. The Migraine Intervention with STARFlex Technology (MIST) trial will answer that question. It is the first study to evaluate the effectiveness of PFO closure for the sole purpose of relieving migraines. “Many patients with migraines suffer tremendously,” said Peter Wilmshurst, M.D., co-principal investigator of the MIST trial and a consultant cardiologist at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, England. “If we can cure mi
