Migräne und offenes Foramen ovale: nur ein vorübergehender Hoffnungsschimmer?

Summary Despite some progress in the understanding of the pathophysiology of migraine and an impressive armamentarium of treatment modalities, this widespread affliction remains one of the most elusive medical entities and is often accompanied by relevant morbidity. In recent years, an association has been postulated between migraine and patent foramen ovale (PFO), some cardiologists having advocated the systematic closure of PFOs using the now widely available and patient-friendly percutaneous catheter technique. While encouraging results based mostly on individual cases have been reported, it is recognised that the issue should be tackled by a systematic interdisciplinary approach. After summarising the current state of knowledge concerning migraine and PFO, we propose a diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm that may help clarify the issue.