When in the womb, babies get oxygen from 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. However, in 25 percent of babies, this small hole fails to close resulting in a condition called a patent foramen ovale (PFO).
Most children with this heart defect never experience symptoms. But in some cases, a PFO can cause breathing problems when the child enters adulthood. The condition also is one of the greatest risk factors for stroke and coronary heart disease in adults.
Most infants with a patent foramen ovale (PFO) won't experience symptoms. In some cases, though, a baby with a PFO and other heart or lung problems may turn blue, a condition known as cyanosis, when coughing, crying or having a bowel movement.
To diagnose a patent foramen ovale (PFO), your doctor will use an echocardiogram. This is a non-invasive test that uses sound waves to create detailed moving images of the heart.
Treatment of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) is necessary only if the condition causes problems. In the past, open-heart surgery with a long recovery period was required. Heart specialists now close PFOs with a non-surgical procedure that involves cardiac catheterization and a special device that patches the hole between the right and left atrium.
In cardiac catheterization, a long, flexible, narrow tube called a catheter is inserted into a vein in the leg or neck and threaded through the vein to the heart. The size of the PFO is then measured and a repair device is selected for closure. If the PFO is unusually large, catheter closure may not be possible.
Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.
Last updated
July 12, 2010
Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
505 Parnassus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 353–1600
Fax: (415) 353-8711
Appointment information
Outpatient Pediatric Heart Center
400 Parnassus Ave., Second Floor
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 353-2008
Fax: (415) 353-2334
Appointment information