How is the oval window in the heart of children diagnosed and dangerous?

Each kid is periodically sent by the pediatrician for examination to different specialists, including a cardiologist. Whether it is necessary to panic if your child was diagnosed by a doctor after examining an "open oval window in the heart"? In children, this heart condition is sometimes indicated . How serious is this disease? How exactly is the disorder diagnosed and what are its possible consequences? Of course, parents have many such questions. In this article you will find answers to some of them.

How is the open oval window in the heart diagnosed in children?

It is impossible to detect this violation with the help of a stethoscope even to very experienced doctors. When listening to this defect is not detected, since it does not cause additional noise. Almost all heart defects, including an open oval window (abbreviated - LLC), are diagnosed by the following methods:

- ultrasound (ultrasound) in combination with Dopplerography shows the direction of blood flow and other possible anomalies;

- contrast echocardiography, during which an intravenous injection with physiological solution is done, will help to identify atrial septal defects of very small sizes;

- Ultrasound through the esophagus is prescribed in rare cases to determine the exact location of the hole and identify possible complications.

In addition to these methods, other auxiliary studies are also used, such as chest X-ray, kidney ultrasound, ECG (electrocardiography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), cardiac catheterization, etc.

Symptoms and signs of LLC, most common in children and adults

In most cases, a child can never complain about any unpleasant sensations that indicate the presence of this heart defect. But nevertheless it is necessary to undergo examinations when the following symptoms appear in the baby:

- increased fatigue in active games;

- frequent susceptibility to seasonal respiratory diseases;

- uncaused fainting, dizziness;

- characteristic altered breathing (lack of air after games, intermittence, shortness of breath);

- Changed pulse, heart palpitations.

What is the dangerously discovered open oval window in the heart of children?

First of all, with a defect in the septum, the probability of formation of blood clots in the heart is increased. As the child grows up, these problems, without proper monitoring by the doctors and the necessary treatment, can worsen, causing the risk of many complications. Among them, heart attacks, circulatory disorders of the brain and strokes.

How often does the defect reveal an open oval window in the heart of adults?

Usually this small hole in the septum is closed in the child for up to a year. But often, almost half of the children under the age of five accidentally find this defect in diagnosis. Adults suffer from this disease less often. Only about fifteen percent of people over the age of twenty have an open oval window in the heart. Children in the process of growth, it can "close" or significantly decrease in size. But, despite the seriousness of the problem, this vice is not a sentence for the child. Not having the characteristic complaints about state of health, he can continue to play sports and actively move. The only thing that should be avoided is diving, which includes deep-sea diving.