My husband has sent various test results for a second opinion, after being told he has severe prolapse/regurgitation of BOTH aortic and mitral valves.
When he got the second take on test results, he was told the aortic didn't look bad at all, and maybe there was some other problem? The mitral valve was confirmed -definitely has a problem.
(btw, it took a good three weeks for the records to make it to the doc doing the second reading!)
Is it possible that two cardiologists, looking at the same echo results (2), TEE results and digital images, stress test and other records could come to such different conclusions?
He has been slogging through this process, assumed he had to do both vales in open chest procedure- trying to figure out which valve makes sense as well. He is almost 64 and active, and seems to be in a grey zone re: mechanical vs. tissue.
Now it feels like total confusion about what the problem really is?
We are now considering trying to find someone to give us a third opinion. Do cardiologists generally do this kind of service for patients to whom they have no personal connection?