Predictors for migraine improvement after PFO closure
| Responders versus non-responders | |||
| Responders | Non-responders | p Values* | |
| Patients | 113 | 37 | |
| Age (years) | 51±11 (26–77) | 51±9 (29–68) | 0.84 |
| Female | 50 (44%) | 69 (46%) | 0.57 |
| Height (cm) | 172±8 | 172±10 | 0.95 |
| Weight (kg) | 75±13 | 77±16 | 0.64 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 25.3±3.4 | 25.7±4.3 | 0.62 |
| Atrial septal anatomy | |||
| Left atrial size (mm) | 37±8 | 38±7 | 0.38 |
| PFO only | 69 (61%) | 21 (57%) | 0.70 |
| PFO and atrial septal aneurysm | 44 (39%) | 16 (43%) | 0.7 |
| Right-to-left shunt | |||
| Grade 1 | 3 (3%) | 2 (5%) | 0.6 |
| Grade 2 | 17 (15%) | 6 (16%) | 1 |
| Grade 3 | 93 (82%) | 29 (78%) | 0.63 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | |||
| Arterial hypertension | 33 (29%) | 10 (27%) | 1 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 3 (3%) | 1 (3%) | 1 |
| Smoking history | 35 (31%) | 10 (27%) | 0.67 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 5.3±1.1 | 5.0±0.8 | 0.12 |
| Embolic index event | |||
| Ischaemic stroke | 69 (61%) | 20 (54%) | 0.56 |
| Transient ischemic attack | 39 (35%) | 15 (41%) | 0.56 |
| Peripheral embolism | 5 (4%) | 2 (5%) | 1 |
| Number of prior embolic events | |||
| One | 76 (67%) | 30 (81%) | 0.14 |
| Two | 21 (19%) | 3 (8%) | 0.2 |
| Three | 5 (4%) | 1 (3%) | 0.1 |
| Four or more | 11 (10%) | 3 (8%) | 1 |
| Migraine with aura | 78 (69%) | 18 (49%) | 0.03 |
| Migraine characteristics | |||
| Duration of symptoms (years) | 26±14 | 27±14 | 0.71 |
| Frequency of migraine attacks | |||
| <1 per month | 41 (36%) | 12 (32%) | 0.7 |
| 1 per month | 36 (32%) | 12 (32%) | 1 |
| 2–3 times per month | 8 (7%) | 4 (11%) | 0.49 |
| Once weekly | 24 (21%) | 6 (16%) | 0.64 |
| 2–6 times per week | 2 (2%) | 1 (3%) | 1 |
| Once daily | 2 (2%) | 2 (6%) | 0.25 |
| Migraine duration | |||
| <4 h | 36 (32%) | 11 (30%) | 1 |
| 4–72 h | 71 (63%) | 24 (65%) | 1 |
| >72 h | 6 (5%) | 2 (5%) | 1 |
| Migraine intensity (0–10) | 8±2 | 7±2 | 0.03 |
| Inability to work during migraine attacks | 62 (55%) | 18 (49%) | 0.7 |
| Patients taking any migraine medication | 104 (92%) | 31 (84%) | 0.33 |
↵* Responders versus non-responders.