City hospital uses innovative material to banish patient's headaches

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Doctors from Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital have used a domestically-developed biological material to help a 39-year-old Russian woman who had suffered from migraines for nearly 20 years.

Visits to hospitals at home and abroad had failed to come up with a solution.

Checks at the Shanghai hospital found the woman had patent foramen ovale (PFO), a small opening between the upper heart chambers that didn't close the way it should after birth.

About 25 percent of adults have the condition. Most people don't need treatment while some can suffer symptoms like migraines or strokes.

"Migraine patients failing to see effects after medicine treatment and those with history of stroke can be screened for PFO and undergo proper treatment if PFO is confirmed," said Dr Zhang Junfeng, of the hospital's cardiology department.

"Our hospital is the first batch to carry out the adoption of a biodegradable device to do minimally invasive closure of PFO in the nation. Compared with the traditional metallic device, it can degrade into carbon dioxide and water while keeping the patient's own tissue to cover the hole in one year without metal residue."

The novel technology can avoid long-term complications like heart abrasions due to permanent metal implants and arrhythmia and also avoids any interference with heart checks in the future and leaves open the feasibility of other therapy, experts said.

Surgery took less than an hour. The Russian patient was able to walk the next day. In follow-up checks, she has reported a great reduction of frequency and seriousness of migraines.

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