A patent foramen ovale is a small, flaplike opening in the wall between the upper chambers of the heart. Most people will not have any signs or symptoms directly from PFO at all.Possible PFO symptoms include: Stroke. Infants with a PFO and no other heart defects do not have symptoms. Some adults with PFOs also suffer from migraine headaches. Patent foramen ovale symptoms manifest as migraines, shortness of breath when getting up and standing, and a higher risk for certain kinds of strokes. Jones was suffering from a patent foramen ovale (PFO), also referred to as a hole in the heart, that was allowing small blood clots to get to her eye and head. If you have a patent foramen ovale, some bubbles show up on the left side of the heart. Transesophageal echocardiogram. Most of the time, PFO itself causes no symptoms.