A related discussion,
holes in heart was started.
It can progress over time and will need to be followed. In general we will follow patients such as yourself on a yearly basis. If the PFO is small and there is no right to left shunting conservative management is probably OK.
Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate it. I saw a cardiologist. She did not seem to be concerned at all about the pfo and mitral valve regurg. Even though they were documented in the TEE, the pfo was small with small amounts of right shunting and the mitral valve regurg was there, but very slight according to the TEE. Question: can either get larger or worse over time (I am 51)? and Should I really get a second opinion, if the cardiologist didn't really seem too concerned? (By the way, I work for an academic health science center and the cardiologist is on the faculty and has a very good reputation)
Again, thanks so much!
As a PFO patient myself, I really think you should get a second opinion. Did this first opinion come from a cardiologist, a neurologist, or a surgeon? Five years is a long time between echoes for someone with a documented PFO and mitral valve regurgitation.
For what it's worth...
Shannon
The potnetial concern with a PFO is a stroke which is a left sided embolism. You had a pulmonary embolism which is right sided and not related to a PFO. Conservative treatment for a small PFO is aspirin alone. Some are recommending more agressive treatment such as closure but the benefits and risks must be weighed for each patient. I would suggest a second opinion, perhaps with a pediatric cardiologist who is using some of the new minimally invasive closure devices.