nik,
There are concrete guidelines to manage patients with valvular heart disease published by the ACC and AHA. These are based from expert clinical and evidenced based medical experts opinions and are effective for managing the evaluating patients with valvular disease such as yourself. They can be found at
http://www.acc.org/clinical/guidelines/valvular/dirIndex.htm
Generally, with symptoms and significant aortic regurgitation, the guidelines recommend aortic valve repair/replacement. For those without symptoms, it gets a little more difficult as some patients can go quite long without needing surgery. In patients without symptoms, other hints of damage to the heart can be used such as impairment of ventricular function or remodeling and dilation of the heart chambers.
Your systolic heart dimensions still fall in the range of what guidelines would recommend for conservative therapy, but your disastolic dimensions are slightly enlarged. In this situation, generally close clnical and echocardiographic followup is warrented to make sure your chambers are not enlarging further.
good luck
Good luck!!
connie
thanks
I wanted to say that... from many symptoms mentioned in various sites like chest pain, shortness of breath etc... I am only having pulsation ... sense of pulse at various places of body like Neck, head etc.
First of all I am sorry to hear problem.
I think you should go for an echo immediately as atleast that facility is available at most of the places and should see an cardiologist.... I am not asking you for a surgon but atleast you should see a cardiologist.... as your simptoms could well have been linked with valve problem ... or some other heart issues. Please also send the echo-parameters to me if possible as I am now well-known with various cut-off limits for these heart related parameters.
take care
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I actually had an echo done about 15 years ago and the cardiologist said i had a 'slight' leak in a valve!!! I am hoping to hear that I have an appointment with a cardiologist soon. My gp wrote to him on 4th Feb last and i am still waiting. The waiting is 'agony'.
Oh to be rich.....
Thanks again and I wish you well with your problems.
I have just been diagnosed with Severe Aortic Insufficiency and Severe Mitral Reguritation......I did not feel out of breath but
maybe it wasn't that noticable to me..? I had an Echo which determined there was something wrong with my valves and a T.E.E.
these tests definately backed up their findings in my Echo...my EKG was normal. However I do feel my heart flip flop and feel like it is pounding very hard. Now I am on meds and do feel
extremely tired....I have been told that valve replacement is necessary. I had never before been told I had a heart murmur and had a child nine years ago and no one said anything to me about my heart...so in nine years it is a shock to find out that my valves need replacing. Suzzi1 you said you had an Echo done 15 yrs ago well your valve could be worst now than it was before. Good luck to you both. I hope you both resolve your problems soon.
Second - I share your feelings - especially frustration that after several doctor visits and 4 pregnancies - a congenital valve problem would rear it's ugly head only after severe symptoms. I was diagnosed a week ago. 33 year old mom of 4. Misdiagnosed over a year ago by a doc that prescribed a beta blocker for headaches and heart palpitations - without even listening to my heart beat. My cardiologist did not share any info with me - basically said - you have a bad valve - come back in a month. The only reason that I know my diagnosis is severe AI is that he wrote it on a card advicing to take antibiotics in case of dental work.
I have many symptoms mentioned here - some not. I am wondering if anyone else has them - as they are conspicuously absent from my reading so far...
in addition to chest pain, dizziness, heart palpitations, some shortness of breath....
I have much lower blood pressure in my left arm. It gets VERY tired easily. My right pressure is usually normal. Last doc visit they could not even get a reading for my left and had to use a machine for the right - she could not hear my pulse. Even the doc could not find a pulse in my left arm - and did not address that with me at all.
I am also experiencing some vision problems - with light regulation, problems with brightness.
As I said - this is not meant as "POSTING A ?" - I am just curious about comments or the experiences of others.
I wish you all the best of luck - thanks so much for all of the valuable resources listed here - I am in for a day of reading!! ;0)thanks!