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Congenital Heart Defect - atrial septal defect?

  • Which method is better in detecting or affirming the presence of a congenital heart defect, especially the atrial septal defect? is it MRI or ECG? Thank you!

  • Answer:

    An ECG alone is of limited value in detecting or affirming the presence of a congenital heart defect. While some heart defects, including primum and secunding ASDs, are associated with specific ECG findings, ECGs are neither sensitive nor specific enough for a doctor to rely on them alone. MRI provides very high resolution images of the cardiac anatomy and, done properly, is probably THE best imaging study that we have at the present time to detect the presence of congenital heart lesions. The problem is that MRI is VERY expensive and is therefore not really considered to be a "first line" imaging study. For many congenital heart defects, an echocardiogram can provide all the necessary information. In those situations, MRI is overkill. MRI is almost never inferior to echocardiograms, though, unless you consider patients who have pacemakers or ICDs and are therefore not always able to have MRI imaging. Hope that answers your question!

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Neither really. The best exam for affirming a presence of a congenital heart defect is an echocardiogram. The EKG can detect heart rhythm problems that may be coming from atrial septal defect, but the best test is an echocardiogram which actually takes pictures of the heart, the blood flow through the valves of the heart etc. You can actually see heart defects with an echocardiogram. They will usually do an echocardiogram and EKG before they wil do a catheterization. I have been through them all because of a heart defect. Atrial septal defects often cause a heart murmur that your doctor can hear through a stethoscope. If your doctor hears a heart murmur or finds other signs or symptoms of a heart defect, he or she may request one or more of these tests: Chest X-ray. An X-ray image helps your doctor see the condition of your heart and lungs. An X-ray may identify conditions other than a heart defect that may explain your signs or symptoms. Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This test records the electrical activity of the heart through patches on your skin and helps identify heart rhythm problems. Echocardiogram. In echocardiography, sound waves produce a video image of the heart. It allows your doctor to see your heart's chambers and measure their pumping strength. This test also checks heart valves and looks for any signs of heart defects. Cardiac catheterization. In this test, a thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into a blood vessel at the groin or arm and guided to your heart. Through catheterization, doctors can diagnose congenital heart defects, test how well your heart is pumping and check the function of your heart valves. Using catheterization, the blood pressure in your lungs can also be measured. Doctors are investigating catheterization techniques to repair heart defects as well. Pulse oximetry. This painless test measures how well oxygen is reaching your tissues. It helps detect whether oxygenated blood is mixing with deoxygenated blood, which can help diagnose the type of heart defect present. A small clip on the fingertip measures the amount of oxygen in your blood. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/atrial-septal-defect/DS00628/DSECTION=6 http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/disease/congenital/septal.htm?id=cff00051&engine=adwords&keyword=Atrial+Septal+Defect&WT.srch=1&WT.mc&?id=cff00051&gclid=CNfyp8vE5I0CFQlZHgodXAKssg http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/tc/Congenital-Heart-Defects-Topic-Overview

Wendy C

I've never heard of an MRI being used to diagnose heart defects. An ECG (echocardiogram) is the most accurate method of diagnosing CHDs that I am aware of, short of catheterization.

Kathie L

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