Ing to this model, PFOs smaller than 8 mm should be closed with a 25 mm device, PFOs 8 mm to 11 mm with a 35 mm device, and PFOs larger than 11 mm with an Amplatzer septal occluder.
Procedures to close a patent foramen ovale include: Device closure. In this procedure, the provider inserts a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel in the groin area. The catheter tip has a device to plug the PFO . Surgical closure. In this heart surgery, the surgeon uses stitches to close the PFO .
This hole is normal in the heart before birth, as part of the fetal circulation. But in most people, it closes soon after birth. If it doesn't close, you have a PFO. A robotic-assisted patent foramen ovale repair is a type of surgery to fix this hole in the heart.