The Relationship Between Migraine And Patent Foramen Ovale

Objective To investigate the frequency of PFOs and median to large shunts in the cohort of migraine without aura, migraine with aura and population without headache in out-patient department.Material and methods 38 patients of migraine with aura (14 men, 24 women), 44 patients of migraine without aura (15 men, 29 women), and 24 controls (10 men, 14 women) were included in this study after informed consent. Clinical histories were carefully recorded. PFO was assessed with transcranial Doppler sonography with IV injection of agitated saline. A right-to-left shunt was graded according to the number of bubble siginals in the transcranial Doppler screen.Results A PFO was shown in 16 patients with 38 MAs and only 5 with 24 controls. A median or large shunts was found in 9 patients with MAs and only 1 with controls (P<0.05).Conclusions Our finding suggests that nearly 42% of MA have right-to-left shunts due to PFO in out-patient department. A larger shunt was found in MA.