When is serial echocardiography generally recommended?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 30-year-old, and I have had two echocardiograms. There is no family history of heart disease. I have strong anxiety. I had an echocardiogram done recently, and the only note that was concerning in the report is "The sinuses of valsalva is dilated at 3.7 cm, unchanged from prior study." My doctor is not concerned about it. The same cardiologist did both reports. She did my report today and seven years back when I was 24-year-old. My question is why the sinus of valsalva is dilated now when it was unchanged from the last echocardiogram that was deemed normal?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The size of the aorta at sinus level (aortic root) is normal upto 4 cm. The good thing is that it has not changed in six years. It grows with age but grows very slowly in normal persons. If you have a family history of aortic root dilatation or aortic dissection, I suggest having serial echocardiography done every three years.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

It is very well within normal limits. There is nothing to worry about. I suggest that they have wrongly written dilated as aortic sinuses upto 40 mm in males and upto 36 mm in females is normal.