How is patent foramen ovale associated with migraine?
There have been many isolated reports regarding people who happened to have migraines who have undergone closure of a patent foramen ovale for other reasons. These patients reported fewer or no migraines after the procedure, and so physicians began speculating as to why this might have helped. PFO appears to be most strongly associated with patients who have migraine with aura or who have very frequent migraines. A study performed by Dr. Silberstein found that in patients with chronic migraine (having greater than 15 migraine headache days per month for more than three months) 66% of them had evidence of PFOs (compared to the 25% found in the general population). In addition, patients who have migraine with aura seem to have a greater chance of having white matter lesions (small abnormal areas often visible on brain MRI) and seem to have a small increased risk of stroke. Some skepticism about these associations has been expressed by Dr. Fogoros (a cardiologist and expert commentator fo
