Can ventricular septal defect avoid amniocentesis?

Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

Updated on September 27, 2024

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Because ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, it is recommended that patients adopt a light diet and especially avoid spicy and stimulating foods due to the condition of ventricular septal defects. It is still recommended to pursue active and early surgical treatment to improve symptoms.

If there is poor cardiac function, or symptoms of palpitations and chest tightness occur, amniocentesis should not be performed as it carries certain risks. However, for milder symptoms that can be timely controlled, amniocentesis and other tests may be considered, but it is also necessary to rule out other diseases. If the patient does not have any special diseases in the past, such as coronary heart disease or diabetes, the procedure can be handled.

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Written by Zhang Zhi Gong

Cardiothoracic Surgery

1min 28sec

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Interventricular septal defect X-ray manifestation

X-ray Manifestations of Ventricular Septal Defect. These are mainly related to the size of the defect. If the ventricular septal defect is relatively small, for example less than three millimeters, the amount of blood shunted from the left ventricle to the right ventricular system is minimal. Consequently, right ventricular congestion is not pronounced, making pulmonary congestion also less obvious. At this point, the X-ray may show no significant changes. However, if the defect is larger, greater than three millimeters, for instance five millimeters, a large volume of high-pressure blood from the left ventricle will flow excessively through the defect into the right ventricular system. This leads to significant congestion in the right ventricle and, thus, in the entire pulmonary circulation. Additionally, the X-ray will show a prominent pulmonary artery segment and increased pulmonary blood flow. Moreover, over time, this condition may lead to compensatory enlargement of the left ventricular system. On the X-ray, enlargement of both the right and left ventricles can be observed. Furthermore, due to sustained high pressure, the distal pulmonary arteries may show signs of severe pulmonary vascular disease on the X-ray, resembling a broken book. This indicates that the pulmonary circulation has reached an end-stage condition.

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Written by Chen Tian Hua

Cardiology

46sec

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Can a ventricular septal defect heal by itself?

Some ventricular septal defects can heal on their own. For ventricular septal defects smaller than five millimeters, some patients can heal on their own; the defects that generally heal are those in the membranous and muscular parts of the septum, and the younger the age, the greater the likelihood of healing. If the ventricular septal defect still exists after the age of five, it generally cannot heal on its own. For ventricular septal defects that do not heal spontaneously, if they significantly affect hemodynamics, interventional treatment or surgical surgery is needed for repair. If the impact of the ventricular septal defect on hemodynamics is not significant, regular follow-up examinations can be conducted to understand the condition of the disease.

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Written by Zhang Zhi Gong

Cardiothoracic Surgery

1min 24sec

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Does a ventricular septal defect affect development?

Does a ventricular septal defect affect development? For relatively small ventricular septal defects, such as those under five millimeters, the shunt from the left ventricle to the right ventricle is minimal, hence patients may not exhibit noticeable symptoms. However, if the defect is larger, for instance, over five millimeters, a large volume of blood will flow from the left ventricle into the right ventricular system. This causes congestion in the right ventricular system and the pulmonary circulation will be flooded with blood. As the saying goes, "flowing water does not rot, nor do door hinges become worm-eaten"; however, when a large amount of blood accumulates in the pulmonary vessels, patients are prone to recurrent respiratory infections and even congestive right heart failure, which then leads to feeding difficulties. Patients feel consistently uncomfortable and have difficulty breathing, so they may be reluctant to eat, especially in young children who need considerable effort to drink milk, which requires some breath-holding. At this time, patients experience feeding difficulties, which equates to developmental delays. Therefore, larger ventricular septal defects can affect a child's development. Small defects, such as those under three millimeters, might not affect development, but larger defects do impact development and thus require timely treatment.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

47sec

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Can a ventricular septal defect be detected with a regular ultrasound?

Ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, and surgical treatment is recommended for patients. Currently, to diagnose this condition, it is advised that patients undergo a cardiac echocardiography rather than just a standard ultrasound, which does not show clear results. Color Doppler ultrasound is the best way to make an accurate diagnosis and therefore determine the appropriate treatment plan. It is possible to see the size and location of the ventricular septal defect, which can significantly aid the treatment planning. Standard ultrasound may not provide a clear view and can sometimes lead to discrepancies, making treatment challenging. During this period, regular follow-up with cardiac echocardiography is still necessary, and early surgery is recommended for patients.

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Written by Zhang Zhi Gong

Cardiothoracic Surgery

1min 25sec

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Ventricular septal defect refers to a defect in the ventricular septum, the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart.

A normal human heart is divided into four chambers: the left ventricle, right ventricle, left atrium, and right atrium. The circulation in a normal person involves venous blood entering the right atrium, passing through the mitral valve into the right ventricle. The right ventricle then contracts and pumps blood into the lungs. After exchanging gases and becoming oxygenated, the blood turns bright red. It then returns to the left atrium. From the left atrium, blood passes through the mitral valve back into the left ventricle, and then the left ventricle contracts and pumps blood throughout the body. Therefore, there is a thick wall between the normal left and right ventricles, known as the ventricular septum. If due to congenital heart disease or other reasons, a small hole appears in the ventricular septum, it is called a ventricular septal defect. If this defect is large, it necessitates active surgical treatment because if the defect exists, the pressure of the blood flow in the left ventricle is higher, causing a large amount of abnormal blood to enter the right ventricle. This leads to a significant accumulation of blood in the right ventricle, causing the patient to have too much blood in the pulmonary circulation, making the patient prone to recurrent colds and infections. Furthermore, these children may easily develop heart failure and even life-threatening conditions such as infective endocarditis.