Another chapter of: To close or not to close

A still from the video of my PFO closure.
Click here to watch a video.

The arguments continue: To close or not to close.

Back in 2007, after a mini-stroke that spring, I had a heart procedure designed to close a hole in my heart called a patent foramen ovale (PFO). It's a hole between the upper two chambers of the heart and was blamed for my 1998 stroke and the 2007 mini-stroke. I was taking a blood-thinner at the time.

You can read the story about the procedure, including video, by following this link.

Now, the American Academy of Neurology says we should not routinely close the hole. Others disagree. Click on the link after reading this snippet on how AAN nixes routine PFO closure:

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is not recommended as a routine therapy for patients with cryptogenic ischemic stroke, according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

A special no-more-hole-in-the-heart story

Like mother, like son?

More than a year ago, this blog featured a posting about how a certain type of hole in the heart could raise the risk of stroke among elderly people. The study hit home the other day.

My mother, who is 81, has had a series of mini-strokes in recent years, including slurred speech and other symptoms. It turned out that, like her son, she had a couple of holes between her upper heart chambers. "Had" is an important term.

Like mine, this condition can cause unfiltered blood shunt from the right side of the heart to the left, then pumped out, perhaps with a clot, to cause a stroke or transient ischemic attack. The holes were not exactly the same variety of mine, but the danger was similar.

So on Dec. 29, 2008,my mother went throught the same catheterization procedure I went through, by the same doctor at the same hospital!

She's just over two weeks out and recovering well. An implanted device called an Amplatzer sealed the holes, which should mean reduced chances of stroke.

As I've said before, this blog is not really about me. Today, it's about my mother. As you read this, say a little prayer for her.