PFO

24 August 2005

New study on PFO and migraine to be started

You’ve probably already heard about the connection between migraine and the common heart defect known as Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO). (If not, check out this article from the September 2003 issue of HeadWay) For several months the MIST Trial has been going on in the UK to formally study how repairing this defect may stop migraine attacks in some people.

Now, across the pond in the USA, the FDA has given conditional approval for a study in America. St Jude Medical, Inc, will be starting a study to learn more about this link. A simple surgery can close this hole in the heart, and may eliminate migraine attacks in some people.

Many people have this defect and don’t even know it. We’re looking forward to hearing the results of the studies that are being done.

21 February 2005

The limits of the PFO solution

James News, Treatments 0

A couple of weeks ago I heard a radio interview with one of the people researching patent foramen ovale surgery (PFO) as a treatment for migraine. Listening to the interview, you would think that this may be the long sought for "cure" for migraine. And so, people are lining up to get the surgery as soon as some of the current trials are completed.

Before we get too excited, we need to be aware of some of the limitations of this possible treatment. All migraineurs do not have the heart-flaw that this surgery deals with. Therefore, this is not the ultimate cure for migraine. As I see it, there are two limited benefits that may come from this research:

1. It may, in some cases, greatly diminish or eliminate migraine symptoms in some people. This is a great thing to hope for!
2. Learning more about why this surgery impacts migraineurs may give us important insights into what exactly migraine is and what triggers it. This is a long term benefit, but a very important one.

In other words, we can all have hope for this research, even though it may not mean a sudden solution to all our problems. If you want an excellent overview of the PFO treatment and migraine, read this article in Science News Online from February 19th, entitled Against the Migraine. Here’s my last post on PFO and migraine for more.

17 January 2005

PFO and Migraine

James News 0

During the last couple of years especially, a lot of evidence has emerged that there’s a connection between a certain heart defect and migraine. That condition is called Patent Foramen Ovale, or PFO. PFO is a common defect where there is a hole between two different parts of the heart. This defect is not usually serious, and many people are not even aware that they have it. Occasionally, it can allow the wrong type of blood to reach the brain.

Sometimes due to other medical considerations, doctors will close this hole. They started to notice that migraineurs were reporting a decrease in migraine symptoms after the procedure. This was especially true for those who had aura. Some patients even found complete relief.

This phenomenon is now being studied in more detail in the MIST Trial. This trial is taking place in the UK. I know we have many visitors from that part of the world. If you want to find out if you qualify for the clinical trial, fill out this questionnaire [link no longer available]. We look forward to hearing the results!