Stress echo

[fireftr]

Hi, I am a 31 y/o M diagnosed with BAV with moderate to severe AI. I feel I am mildly symptomatic, but just not sure. I notice dizziness and mild SOB with lifting, also seem more fatigued at the end of the day than I used to. I go in for a stress echo this week and was wondering how sensitive it is. I still run, bike, etc without much change. I really only notice symptoms with isometric type activity. Will the stress echo test the heart in these ways? I really don't feel like my cardiologist believes I am symptomatic right now.

Also, I am a Paramedic and have done several 12 lead ECG's on myself. They show some very large voltages in the anterior, lateral and inferior leads, consistant with LVH, minus the strain pattern. The cardiologist told me my ventricle is still in the normal range. What could cause the ECG changes without the echo measurements?

Thank you very much. As a Firefighter and Paramedic my job requires a lot of physical activity so I want to make sure I do what is neccessary to take care of myself. Is there such thing as a sports cardiologist? Sometimes I feel like my cardiologist is treating me just as he would treat his typical 65 y/o with valve problems.

Eric

[Douglas Bogart, MD]

Young athletic  people can have increased voltage  on the EKG without actual cardiac enlargement.  The stress echo is a good test as it does evaluate heart size and function in response to exercise.  There are specific criteria on the echo to assess the degree of leakage as well as when surgery should be done.