Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a hole between your heart's upper chambers. However, it may cause serious complications under certain circumstances.Patent foramen ovale closure is a procedure to close a hole in the heart. We use minimally invasive approaches to treat PFO without open-chest surgery. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a hole in the wall between the heart's two upper chambers (atria). Before birth all babies have this opening. Most people with a patent foramen ovale don't need treatment. Use a local anesthetic to numb the groin area where they'll insert the catheter. This topic will review the approach to the evaluation of patients who have an ischemic stroke in the setting of a PFO. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a flap-like opening in the heart between the upper chambers.