Studies supporting potential indications for patent foramen ovale closure that are not currently commissioned in the UK
| Indications | Study | Findings |
|---|---|---|
| Decompression sickness | Pristipino et al39 | Presence of a right-to-left shunt is associated with a higher risk of incidence of decompression sickness. Odds ratio 5.63 (95% confidence interval 3.14–10.09) |
| Honek et al41 | 34% in PFO group and 0% in closure group (p=0.02) for 18 metre dive; 88% in the PFO group and 0% in the closure group (p<0.01) for 50 metre dive | |
| Migraine with aura | Mattle et al44 | Although a greater reduction in number of migraine days (–2.9 vs –1.7 days; p=0.17) and frequency of attacks (–2.1 vs –1.3; p=0.097) was noted in the closure group vs non-closure group, respectively, the results of the study were not significant and, hence, it cannot be concluded that PFO closure may be appropriate for migraine with aura. |
| Platypnoea-orthodeoxia syndrome | Blanche et al45 | PFO closure is associated with improvement in oxygen saturation (from 83% ±3% to 93% ±2%) |
| Liver transplantation | Flocco et al47 | Reduction in cardiopulmonary complications in patients with PFO closure vs without closure (73% vs 51%, respectively; p=0.02). |
PFO = patent foramen ovale.