Ventricular Septal Defect (cont.)
How is a VSD diagnosed? What are the symptoms of a VSD?
The diagnosis of a VSD is usually suspected clinically by hearing a characteristic heart murmur. A murmur is a sound generated by abnormally turbulent flow of blood through the heart. This murmur is the result of blood being shunted through the VSD from the higher-pressure left ventricle into the lower-pressure right ventricle. At birth, this pressure imbalance is minimal and does not usually develop until later in the first week of life. As such, it is rare for a doctor to hear the murmur of a VSD until the baby is a few days of age.
The evaluation of a child with a possible VSD is designed to confirm the diagnosis but also to check for other anatomical defects in the heart and to estimate the size of the shunt of blood from the left to right ventricle.
Such an evaluation usually begins with an electrocardiogram (EKG, sometimes also abbreviated ECG)
and possibly a chest X-ray. A soundwave test of the heart (echocardiogram) is used to define the anatomy and evaluate the characteristics (amount and pressures) of the shunted blood. With the advent of superb echocardiography, the previously required cardiac catheterization is rarely necessary.
What if the VSD is small?
Small defects (less than 0.5 square cm) are common. With a small VSD, there is minimal shunting of blood and the pressure in the right ventricle remains normal. Since the right ventricular pressure is normal, there is no damage to the lung arterioles. The heart functions normally. A prominent murmur heard through a stethoscope is usually the only sign that brings the VSD to attention. This murmur is commonly noted during the first week of life.
Next: How is a small VSD treated? »
- Chest X-ray - A chest x-ray is a radiology test that involves exposing the chest briefly to radiation to produce an image of the chest and the internal organs of the chest. chest x-ray can be used to define abnormalities of the lungs such as excessive fluid, pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, cysts, and cancers.
- Birth Defects - Read about birth defects, the leading cause of infant mortality during the first year. Causes of birth defects include ingestion of drugs or alcohol during pregnancy, genetic, hereditary, or environmental factors.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - Read about the Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG) procedure used to reflect underlying heart conditions such as agnina, occurance of a prior heart attack or of an evolving heart attack, and more.
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