Echo Reports comments: Trivial PR and TR

[bmijans]

Sir,
My niece is 4 years old and she recently has a Echocardiography Test. The Report final comments are that *Normal cardiac anatomy * Trivial PR & TR.
We visited many doctor in our home country Bangladesh, but seeing the report all the doctors said ther is a little hole in the heart and after 5or 6 months it will be fulfilled. They did not give any medicine for this. We are concerned as Bangladeshi doctors are not expert in treatment and wheather they are giving right decision or not. Is it a serious matter?

Please give us accurate treatment for this.

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Bmijans,

Reading an echocardiography report is not going to necessarily give me any more information that what you have already given me at this time, so I don't recommend sending it.  I would recommend a second opinion locally if you feel that you have not received adequate information from your cardiologist.

[bmijans]

Sir,
Thanks a lot for your advise. However, it will be very helpful if I can show you the Echo Report and I want to send it through via email as in person I am not able to meet you.

I will be very thankful if you provide me an email address. Please

I will be eagerly waiting to hear from you soonest.

Thank you.

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Bmijans,

Without seeing the echocardiogram, I cannot tell what the “little hole” is.  I can guess that it is most likely either a patent foramen ovale, which can be a normal finding in up to 25-30 percent of all adults, or a small ventricular septal defect, a hole between the lower two chambers of the heart.  That said, at the age of 4 years, the likelihood of either of these spontaneously going away in the next 5 to 6 months is low, although if it is a ventricular septal defect, it has a very small chance of going away by adolescence.  However, these are also unlikely to be a problem for her.  The “PR & TR” are normal findings on the ultrasound.  PR is pulmonary (valve) regurgitation and TR is tricuspid (valve) regurgitation.  All of the valves of the heart can have up to trivial regurgitation, or leakage, as a normal finding.