Is your cardiologist telling you that it is time? You've had several surgical consultations, thus the different recommendations you have received, as far as which procedure to use. Are any of these consultations telling you when you need surgery?
If they are telling you soon, then I would get it soon and not delay.
I am more well versed at aortic stenosis vs aortic regurgitation, but here is what jumps out at me from your echo.
- It indicates that your LV ejection fraction (LVEF) has dropped from 65% in the last echo to 55% now. That is not good and something that is generally watched closely.
-Your left ventricle is upper normal sized- this is likely enlargement that occurs to overcome the regurgitation. When there is regurgitation, not all the blood that is supposed to make it out to your body, which it vitally needs, makes it out to your body with each pump. The left ventricle compensates by pumping harder each beat- and to do this it will generally enlarge- as it must add muscle to pump harder. Think about how a weightlifter's muscle's get larger the more he exerts himself and the harder he lifts. It is similar to that, but it is not good for your heart to enlarge. You indicate that you feel your heart beating harder, like it is beating full force. I suspect that this is why you are feeling this.
-Your regurgitation is moderate/severe
-You have started to have left ventricular diastolic dysfuntion. It is mild at this point, but that generally means your getting closer to needing intervention.
The echo was done June 18, so that is 4 months ago, so your condition may have worsened since then.
With those factors noted above, I would tend to believe that you are approaching your time and some may even say that now is the time. If your medical team tells you that it is time for surgery, I would not delay. The last thing that you want to do is wait too long and cause irreversible damage to occur. You are young. Putting off surgery for 6 months at the risk of causing irreversible damage is not something that you want to do. Which is just to say, when your medical team tells you that it is time, then don't delay.
I am posting a link from the Cedar Sinai website regarding symptoms of aortic regurgitation. It sounds like you already may be experiencing one of the symtoms, which I put in bold. Make sure that you are communicating with your medical team and that they are aware of this. And be sure to let them know if you epxerience any other symptoms. There are some symptoms which would be an indication for immediate surgery. Your June echo indicates that you are experiencing chest discomfort. I am not clear if that is based on what you already described or if that falls into the category of another symptom listed, which is Chest pain or tightness with exertion. See below.
What are the symptoms of aortic valve regurgitation?
You may not have any symptoms from mild aortic regurgitation. If the condition becomes more severe, you may develop symptoms that worsen over time. These may include:
- Shortness of breath with exertion
- Shortness of breath when lying flat
- Fatigue
- Unpleasant awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations)
- Swelling in your legs, abdomen, and the veins in your neck
- Chest pain or tightness with exertion
Sudden severe aortic valve regurgitation is a medical emergency, and includes symptoms such as:
- Symptoms of shock (such as pale skin, unconsciousness, or rapid breathing)
- Severe shortness of breath
- Abnormal heart rhythms that make the heart unable to pump effectively
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health...-conditions/a/aortic-valve-regurgitation.html
