Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale for recurrent migraine.
NICE has also written guidance on this procedure for:
- Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale for the secondary revention of recurrent paradoxical embolism in divers (NICE interventional procedure guidance 371)
- Percutaneous closure of the patent foramen ovale for the prevention of cerebral embolic stroke (NICE interventional procedure guidance 109)
Description
The foramen ovale is a hole in the wall that divides the two upper chambers of the heart. The hole is present in the heart of a developing fetus, but normally closes up soon after the baby is born. If it fails to close it is known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO). In most people, this doesn’t cause any problems but some studies have suggested that there could be a link between having a PFO and recurrent migraines. This procedure involves passing a device through a large vessel in the groin up into the heart and closing/blocking the hole in the wall of the heart.
Coding and clinical classification codes for this guidance