I am being sent for a level 2 Ultrasound Thursday because my previous US showed one of the babies valves was enlarged. She said all 4 chambers were there but she was very vague on what this means. Care to shed some light?
I don't know what this means in a fetus at 20 weeks since a lot of changes still lie ahead, but you can glean some info from the nature of this type of defect in adults. If the abnormality doesn't change and if no other abnormalities arise, the flaps of the affected valve will poke into one of the heart chambers. This situation is called valve prolapse. Look up mitral valve prolapse as an example. Typically a valve prolapse is not a serious defect, but if the prolapse is severe it might require treatment at some point in life or maybe even multiple treatments. What the heart will look like at birth is probably the bigger question. Some abnormalities signal a genetic defect that might cause other problems as well. Some defects cause a chain of problems in later steps of development. Your doc should have a good idea if any of these concerns exist. Maybe genetic testing will be suggested, but many defects occur with no explanation and they do not cause other complications. I would guess that after the chambers are developed, a dilated valve would be unlikely to cause any significant complications in later heart development, but this is just a guess.
?UPDATE? We went to the US today and the heart was 100% HEALTHY!! There was nothing wrong with any anatomy of baby girl. The doctors there said they are completely confused as to why my Doctor would tell me the baby might need heart surgery when she wasn't even 100% on the issue and even if it was due to positioning like she 'claimed' at first, then a Level 2 US wouldn't be necessary. I'm just so grateful and thank God that my baby is ????!
