Patent Foramen Ovale

When in the womb, babies get oxygen from blood their mother's blood, which is circulated from the placenta to the umbilical cord. The blood travels to the heart, bypassing the lungs through a small hole in the two upper chambers of the heart called a foramen ovale, which ordinarily closes after birth.

In 25 percent of babies, this small hole fails to close resulting in a condition called a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Most people with this heart defect never experience symptoms. But in some cases, a PFO can cause breathing problems in adults. The condition also is one of the greatest risk factors for stroke in adults.

A blood clot in a leg vein, for example, could travel through the PFO from the right to left side of the heart and into the brain, where it can block normal blood flow and cause a stroke. A PFO could cause a heart attack if a blood clot travels from the right to left side of the heart and becomes lodged in a coronary artery.

PFO also is associated with an increased risk of the bends in deepwater scuba divers and recent studies suggest that PFO may cause certain types of migraine headaches.

At UCSF Children's Hospital, our pediatric heart specialists are leaders in diagnosing and treating patent foramen ovale (PFO). This condition is repaired in our Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory with a special device that acts as a patch to cover the hole between the right and left atrium.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call:
Pediatric Heart Center (415) 353-2008

For help finding a doctor, please contact our Physician Referral Service:

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 25, 2007