Cor Triatriatum

Question: cor triatriatum/atrial septal defect of the heart..Where can I find more information? I want to find out how many cases worldwide, success rate of surgery, who has performed the surgerys and details of the way it was done, long term health needs, etc etc. Where can I find this information? Surely a medical book of some sort? I need directions other than the net...thx

Answer: I think you got to do a web search on search engine.My advise is do individual countries search or continent.

Question: Several questions about Cor Triatriatum.? My son is 15 mos. old right now, and was diagnosed as having Cor Triatriatum when he was 6 weeks old. They did see the membrane blocking his left atrium the day after he was born, because he also had VSD, the VSD has since healed, but I have several questions regarding his heart condition. I keep hearing that its a rare condition (my son's pediatrician had to look up the term!) How rare is it? Secondly, as of our last appt. (Nov. 2006) the membrane that is in his left atrium was not disturbing or interupting his blood flow at all, and so his Dr. said they weren't going to do anything until they needed to do something, but how long can this membrane be in his heart w/o causing any damage? I know that if its not impeding blood flow they're not going to fix it, but how long can he stay like that? I'm afraid of the answer, but in order to fix cor triatriatum its open heart surgery isn't it?

Answer: Heather - It is true that cor triatriatum is a rare condition. Various hospitals have reported on how often they see it, and the prevalance is probably about 6 cases per million live births. The defect is not genetically transmitted and there have been no reports of families with multiple cases. The problem with cor triatriatum arises when it obstructs the flow of oxygenated blood returning from the lungs and reentering the heart. However, the range of obstruction is very wide. On the one hand, people may present within the first days of life if there is NO way for the blood to get through the membrane. On the other hand, there are reports of people surviving into late adulthood (in one case the patient's age was in the 70s) before the diagnosis is even made. If there is no evidence that the membrane is causing significant obstruction, it is probably reasonable to just monitor with regular echocardiograms. Some cardiologists will "challenge" the patient by giving IV fluids and/or medicines to speed up the heart during an echocardiogram to see if this "unmasks" obstruction that could be caused by the membrane during physical activity. If you have concerns, I would ask your son's pediatrician for a referral to a pediatric cardiologist (or just seek a second opinion from a cardiologist on your own). Physicians will rarely take offense to such a request. The important thing is to make sure that YOU are comfortable with the plan! Right now, most cases of cor triatriatum are fixed with surgery, although there have been occasional reports of cases in which the repair was done with catheters. Whether this would be an option really depends on the specific configuration of your son's heart and should be determined by a specialist! Hope that helps some! Good luck to you both!

Question: Cor Triatriatum along with Atrial septal defect of the heart? Just found out my 3yr old daughter may have both of these, I knew about the A.S.D just after she was born, but now today the Cor Triatriatum. Done a little research and this seems to be very rare. How serious is this? I understand that there can be a total blockage or just a little etc, and also that the ASD is probably a good thing, so as not to build up pressure, so what do i look for in her and should i get this looked at again sooner, doctors want to see her in 9mths?, Any knowledge would be great, looked at most of the internet I think..My daughter has down syndrome. Thx

Answer: Blue finger nail beds and lips (cyanoses), shortness of breath, squatting during activities may be sign of poor oxygenation. Illness and death is very high in those diagnosed during infancy. As the child grows oxygen demands will increase and subsequently demands more work from the circulatory system particularly heart and lungs. So listlessness and fatigue would become more evident. The child may be considered for some form of surgery be it a vascular approach or open heart surgery. Good to see you are a dedicated parent and advocate who is taking a proactive responsibility to finding the best care for your daughter.

Question: cor triatriatum/atrial septal defect of the heart..Where can I find more information? I want to find out how many cases worldwide, success rate of surgery, who has performed the surgerys and details of the way it was done, long term health needs, etc etc. Where can I find this information? Surely a medical book of some sort? I need directions other than the net...thx daughter has cor triatriatum and atrial septal combined

Answer: I just know of atrial, ventricular and aortic (theres a proper term for this but i have forgot) defect. What these are are basically shunts (passageways or holes if you like) connecting the two atrium's/ventricles together. Blood mixes with high oxygenated blood and low oxygen blood. It is the same with the aorta that connects to the pulmonary artery. treatment: surgery, there is no longterm needs you will be dead by then. info: medical text books and a cardiologist I dont know anything else for what you wanted to know so i won't comment on them.