Finding the best physicians

[SH2]

Hello, our 4-year-old son was diagnosed last month with moderate aortic valve regurgitation, and we were told that he most likely would need surgery within the next couple of years.  We live in the San Francisco bay area (just south of the city) and are trying to find out who the best pediatric cardiologists and surgeons are for his situation.  We are unsure how to do this however, are there doctors you recommend or a method for finding them?

Secondly, we would be willing to travel anywhere in the U.S. if there was a chance it would be beneficial to our son.  Are there some hospitals and medical centers that are the best in the country and do the most of these procedures?

Any other advice for us as we are starting out would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your help.

[grendslori]

The most important thing is to go to a Children's Hospital. If you are in California you might want to consider places like Loma Linda, UCLA and Stanford University. Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas, Motts Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, Children's Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. These last three are in the top 10 children's hospitals in the country.