Aortic regurgitation

[NK346f2849X127d8bca260]

My dd was a healthy control in a recent medical research project and it was discovered that she had regurgitation and her aortic root is higher up than should be.
The cardiologist said the regurgitation wasn't significant, and am waiting to hear what happens next.

Am not sure what he means about the root and as we were not expecting the scan to show anything, i didn't ask many questions.

Anyone know anything?

Are you waiting for a referral to cardiology for your dd? It would be best to discuss this with a cardiologist, or failing that with your GP.

If the cardiologist is not concerned that the aortic regurgitation is significant, then that should reassure you. As children grow, aortic root measurements increase, so doctors use a z score to measure how a child relates to other children with a similar body surface area (essentially a measure of height and weight combined). A z score of -1 to +1 is an average score, with 0 being bang in the middle. Doctors can then use these z scores to put your child in a centile, rather similar to height and weight centiles.

My dd has a condition which causes dilation of the aortic root. When she was 10, her z score was 2.35. One year later, her body had undergone a growth spurt, but her aortic root remained the same size, meaning that her z score went down to 1.2. At her next appointment it may increase again, she will always be monitored. It is important to note that while z scores can go down, aortic root size does not decrease.

So z scores can fluctuate, but they are still a good measurement of how things are changing. If your dd has not been referred to cardiology urgently, then it probably means that there is not too much concern. However, do chase up the appointment if it has been more than a few weeks. These appointments can and do get lost in the system.