Procedure for Stroke Patients With Migraine

Researchers have found that stroke patients with a history of migraine headaches have had their migraines stopped or significantly reduced following a closure procedure of a common heart defect called patent foramen ovale (PFO).

PFO is a small hole in the heart, whose presence is normal during fetal development when the fetal blood supply is being enriched and oxygenated by the mother's lungs. Although the hole usually closes shortly after birth, in about 25% of the population it fails to close completely and becomes a persistent PFO into adulthood. This opens up an opportunity for venous blood circulating through the lungs to cross over to the arterial side prematurely, before circulating through the lungs, and then to be pumped back into the arterial circulation and the brain. This unfiltered venous blood circulating in the brain is suspected of sparking a migraine.

The study showed that patients suffering from migraines with aura are twice as likely to have a PFO, compared to the general population. During a two-year period, researchers examined 162 patients who had experienced unexplained stroke-like symptoms. After confirming the presence of a high-grade PFO using a transcranial ultrasound system, all patients underwent transcatheter closure of the PFO. A one-year followup showed that 56% had complete resolution of migraine symptoms, while 14% reported a significant reduction in migraine frequency.

The study, led by cardiologist Dr. Mark Reisman (Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA), was published in the February 15, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.




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Swedish Medical Center