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The persistent foramen ovale and migraine.
1The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, United-Kingdom. peter.wilmshurst@rsh.nhs.uk
Revue Neurologique
|September 6, 2005
Summary
Migraine, especially with aura, is linked to large heart openings called persistent foramen ovale (PFO). Closing a PFO can improve migraine symptoms, suggesting a causal role for these shunts.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Genetics
Background:
- Migraine, particularly migraine with aura, is a debilitating neurological condition.
- A potential link between migraine and cardiac shunts, such as persistent foramen ovale (PFO), has been observed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between migraine and large right-to-left shunts, specifically PFO.
- To explore the potential causal role of PFO in migraine with aura.
- To examine the impact of PFO closure on migraine symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Observational studies correlating migraine prevalence with the presence of PFO and other right-to-left shunts.
- Analysis of migraine improvement following PFO closure procedures.
- Family studies investigating the inheritance patterns of migraine and atrial shunts.
Main Results:
- A significant association exists between migraine, especially migraine with aura, and large PFOs or other right-to-left shunts.
- PFO closure has been shown to improve migraine symptoms in many patients with large shunts.
- In some families, migraine inheritance is linked to the inheritance of large atrial shunts.
Conclusions:
- Persistent foramen ovale (PFO) may play a causal role in the etiology of migraine with aura in a subset of patients.
- These findings may also offer insights into the underlying causes of migraine in individuals without a detectable shunt.
- PFO closure represents a potential therapeutic strategy for migraine patients with large shunts.