I remember when I first started working there was a chart discussion and my diagnosis for a patient was: congenital heart disease with an unclosed foramen ovale. Director Wang, the goddess, immediately pointed out: is patent foramen ovale a congenital heart disease? I was confused for a moment. As a fresh doctor is this idea, not to mention the parents who do not understand medicine, a look at the child’s heart has a small hole, must be very nervous. In fact, an unclosed foramen ovale is not terrible, listen to what I have to tell you. The foramen ovale is an important physiological channel during fetal life. Since the fetal lungs do not work, the foramen ovale allows blood from the right atrium to flow into the left atrium to maintain normal fetal blood circulation. Therefore, the foramen ovale is not a congenital malformation, but a very important normal channel. Most foramen ovale closes within 3 months of birth, with some delayed closure until 3 years of age. If the foramen ovale does not close on its own or if it does not close completely and a small hole remains, the foramen ovale is not closed. About 1/4 of adults in the normal population have an unclosed foramen ovale, but many people just don’t get checked. Therefore, if you or your child has an unclosed foramen ovale, you do not have to think you have a rare heart condition, which is relatively common. Most of them are very small, no more than 4 mm, and there is a very small left-to-right shunt, which basically has no effect on the heart. However, a very small number of people with patent foramen ovale will have recurrent cerebral infarction, which is caused by some tiny emboli in the venous blood running through the foramen ovale from the right side to the left side to paradoxically embolize; studies have also found that some decompression sickness and migraine are related to patent foramen ovale. These conditions are relatively rare, and if found, surgical treatment of patent foramen ovale is recommended. The earliest treatment for patent foramen ovale was by open-heart repair, which was less risky but more invasive, making it difficult to accept. Nowadays, they are sealed by interventional means, without open surgery, and can be solved by puncturing only on the root of the thigh, and can be discharged in two or three days after surgery, which requires 6 months of aspirin anticoagulation. Now it can also be blocked by ultrasound-guided intervention, without taking radiation. The surgical risk is minimal. Overall, patent foramen ovale is not a serious disease, the incidence is not low, but most people do not need to deal with it, especially children do not need to go to rush surgery. A small number of people with complications need surgical intervention; some people who do not have complications but have a heavy psychological burden that affects their daily life can also consider surgery.