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Ventricular Septal
Defect
What
is Ventricular Septal Defect?
What
are the warning signs and symptoms of Ventricular Septal
Defect? There are
often no obvious signs or symptoms of a Ventricular Septal
Defect in a newborn infant. After several days or weeks, the following may
appear and suggest the presence of a VSD:
How
is Ventricular Septal Defect detected? Often the
first sign of a Ventricular Septal Defect is the presence
of an abnormal heart murmur. This often leads to the performance of an
echocardiogram, which generally will show the precise anatomy of the defect
as well as its size and effect on the heart function. What
are the treatment options for Ventricular Septal
Defect? Ventricular Septal Defects are small and most of these will get even
smaller or close by themselves. A medium-sized Ventricular Septal Defect may need to be closed surgically but it is
often possible to wait several years to see if the VSD will get smaller on
its own. Small VSDs often never need treatment. If
the VSD, however, is large enough to cause the left ventricle to be enlarged
and there are no signs that the hole is getting any smaller, surgery is
generally recommended. Large Ventricular Septal
Defects will require surgical closure, the timing of which depends on the
degree of symptoms. Symptoms often can be improved by giving the infant
medication such as:
If, in spite
of medication, the infant is still symptomatic, then surgery will be
necessary. If the symptoms are improved but the hole is large, then a short
period of observation is possible to see if there are any signs that the hole
is getting smaller. Recently,
some Ventricular Septal Defects have been closed in
the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory with devices that are undergoing
research, but the vast majority still require
surgical closure. |
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