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Had Echo Exam. What Are The Findings From The Report?

Posted on Fri, 29 Nov 2013

Question: Hello. I just had an echo exam and the results mention: Interpretation: 'This was essentially a normal study" - However there are 3 points I am concerned about: 1/ The left atrium is borderline dilated. Left atrial volume (bi-plane) 27.1 ml/m2 (nl<29ml/m2) 2/ The mitral valve leaflets appear thickened, but open well. 3/ Mild aortic valve sclerosis with preserved opening => What do 1/, 2/, 3/ mean? => Should I be concerned by 1/ and 2/ and 3/ ? I am a 34 yrs old man (never smoked, do not drink) - Thank you for your response. XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: No problem... Detailed Answer: Hi friend, Welcome to Health Care Magic Nothing to worry Nothing to act on it Repeat it after an year... Why was the ECHO done now? No cause for concern Good luck Take care Wishing all well God bless

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (20 hours later)

Thank you Doctor for your reply. I have 2 follow-up questions: I/ "The left atrium is borderline dilated. Left atrial volume (bi-plane) 27.1 ml/m2 (nl<29ml/m2)" -> is it ok even if I am close to the nl=29 limit? To answer your question, I had an ECHO performed because I complained of palpitations. Basically, I am a sporty (hiking, skiing) person and always traveled a lot via planes. Recently, I experienced phenomena like hyperventilation even before taking a plane (just the fact of being at the airport made me hyperventilate and have palpitations; same thing when driving to the mountains to go hiking) - All that do not make sense to me so I performed an ECHO. The cardiologist where I performed the ECHO thinks it is nervous/anxious/depressive related. However, those last weeks I experienced random and isolated PVCs (skipped beat and one beat pounding - I have never had several PVCs in a row) - Those PVCs are isolated (maybe it appeared -that I felt- 6 times in 4 weeks) The ECHO seems fine based on the results and your reply - So here is my question: II/ -> Can a chronic stress/anxiety provoke palpitations, hyperventilation, PVCs at random times even when you are trying to control it? Thank you for your answer to my questions I/ and II/ Best Regards

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (3 hours later)

Brief Answer: Yes Detailed Answer: Hi 1- Values at upper limits are OK too. After all these are statistical values from population studies…. In a given individual, it is the total clinical picture, that counts – the numbers are general guides… Any investigation, for that matter, must be correlated with the clinical picture for proper interpretation. 2- Yes… Anxiety and/or stress can cause palpitation, hyperventilation, PVCs… The reverse is also true – palpitation can cause anxiety / and a vicious cycle may set in… Beta blockers are ideal drugs in such situation – helping the rate and anxiety too _______________________________________________________ Irregular heart beats need to be DOCUMENTED by ElectroCardioGram (EKG). Standard ECG records the electrical activity of the heart, for a few seconds. It can detect the arrhythmia occurring during that time only. If the episode occurs randomly or precipitated by a specific activity, one needs Holter or event monitor. Anaemia / Anxiety / Alcohol / Tobacco (smoking) / Caffeine (too much tea, coffee, cola) / Fever / Infection / Pain / Stress / Thyroid / calcium, magnesium / Medicines like Phenylephrine used for ‘cold’; Salbutamol used for asthma and so on - may be responsible.... / Illicit ‘drugs’ like Amphetamine are notorious to cause abnormal beats / At times, abnormal nerve paths in the heart (bypass tracts) or disease of the conduction system may be responsible! Many cases of palpitation are benign, especially when associated with normal ECHO and may not require treatment. If you also have symptoms like blurred vision, dizziness, loss of consciousness, chest pain, you need urgent work up The treating doctor alone can suggest further based on his assessment of the situation. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (21 hours later)

Thank you for all those info - Last question: My Ejection Fraction (EF) # is : 75% => Is that a good number? => Also, during this ECHO (not a stress ECHO) test, I was actually relatively stressed myself (bitrate was about 100) - does the stress factor (fast heart beat during the ECHO test) affect the EF number like making this number higher than what it should have been in case I was more relax during the test ? Thanks very much for your answers.

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (7 hours later)

Brief Answer: Normal for sure Detailed Answer: Hi Excellent Ejection Fraction! Of course, stress can affect - mostly increases the rate and reduces the output... Good luck

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar