“Small hole in heart?”
Hello. I have had five echos in the past five years. On the fifth echo, I was informed I had a hole in my heart and high pulmonary pressure. My question is can a hole in the heart develop as an adult and is it something to be concerned about? All five echos have been done at the same DR's office.
Female | 45 years old
3 Answers
CardiologistCardiologist
Very unlikely – almost certainly it was always there but newer echo machines are better at detecting them. You should see a cardiologist who may arrange a trans-esophgeal echo or other investigation to get a more detailed picture.
There are several conditions which you could have. You don't say where the hole is located. There are defects in the upper chambers, which are called Atrial Septal defects, and there are several types of these. The defects in the lower chambers are called Ventricular Septal defects, and again there are a few types. There is a type of ASD, called a PFO, a patent foramen ovale, which occurs when the foramen ovale, which usually closes at birth, remains open. The ASD's are usually congenital, but can occur in adulthood. The VSD's could be either congenital or from another cardiac condition. If there is pulmonary hypertension, whatever the cause, treatment is necessary. Closure of the defect may be necessary.You need a good cardiac physical exam and an echo study read by a cardiologist trained in echo. A cardiac catheterization is sometimes necessary.
There are different types of hole in the heart, the most common one is called atrial septal defect which you are born with. If you have symptoms of shortness of breath or tightness the hole can be fixed by an interventional cardiologist as an outpatient procedure.
