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.In this heart surgery, the surgeon uses stitches to close the PFO . Patent foramen ovale closure can help reduce risk of another ischemic stroke. Learn more about a minimally-invasive treatment option. It typically closes during infancy. When the foramen ovale doesn't close, it's called a patent foramen ovale. Patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect closure is a routine procedure to close holes in the upper chambers of the heart.