Swollen Valve due to VSD

Hi,

I posted earlier that my son was diagnosed with an ASD and VSD. His ASD is now closed and VSD was originally at 1.27cm and is not at 0.2cm. However, his cardiologist thinks that the closure may be artificial because one of his valve is swollen. He is recommending a review to be done in March 2011 and if the valve is still swollen, he recommends an elective surgery to close the hole - which will help the valve normalise after that.

Can you kindly advise if surgery is needed in this case and how serious will the swollen valve affect my son's quality of life (if surgery is not performed?). I'm glad his VSD has gotten smaller but worried now about his swollen valve. Pls help!

Thank you!

[Marie M Gleason, M.D.]

My interpretation of what you are describing is that your child's VSD has gotten smaller over time due to tissue from one of the heart valves that is nearby.  Commonly, this is done by the tricuspid valve, where one leaflet forms a partial patch (called an "aneurysm") over the hole.  This rarely requires any surgery.  The aortic valve is another heart valve that can prolapse partially into the hole; this can deform the aortic vave and lead to leakage of that valve.  The aortic valve is a very important valve in the heart, and in order to protect it from damage, often surgery is recommended to close the VSD and let the aortic valve take on its normal position and fucntion.  Your cardiologist should be able to clarify this problem further for you at your next visit.  Good luck.