patent foramen ovale

noun

Pathology.

1. a congenital heart defect resulting from failure of the foramen ovale to close shortly after birth.

Example Sentences

A patent foramen ovale - or PFO - which is a small hole between the top two chambers of the heart.

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In a 2014 article for Men’s Health, Bruschi wrote that he had a patent foramen ovale, basically a small hole in his heart, and had surgery to repair the congenital heart defect following his stroke.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After tests, doctors found she had a patent foramen ovale, or PFO — a hole in the heart that hadn’t closed — and an MRI scan revealed she had experienced at least one stroke, which was the likely cause of her worst symptoms.

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They discovered that Hardeman had a common heart defect called a PFO, or patent foramen ovale, a small hole in the wall between the two top chambers of the heart.

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In one instance early in our relationship, when I experienced a bout of decompression sickness after scuba diving, we discussed the possibility that I have a patent foramen ovale, and he told me a transesophageal echo test could offer a definitive diagnosis.

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