Hello,
I'm getting very anxious about the health care. I have a quite rare aortic pseudoaneurysm. The cardiologist has said I need an MRI before he can assess my treatment options. The radiologist is questioning if I need an MRI!! Now I have, out of the blue, an appointment for an echo.
Anyone have any ideas what's happening here?
Thanks
Nope, but I’d suggest phoning the cardiologist’s Secretary tomorrow and asking. Sorry to be so brief but I’ve found communication isn’t necessarily the NHS’ strong point and it’s always worth asking and chasing as necessary.
All the best to you and your loved ones.
I am surprised the radiologist would question the cardiologists decision. Sounds to me as though you definitely need an MRI.I had one for a hole in the heart a few years ago which is,I suggest, far less serious than your situation. You must insist on having what the cardiologist has advised.
Thanks.From what I've googled, MRI is the top scan to have, so I'll insist on that.
Hi. My son has a bicuspid aortic valve. He is reviewed every six months and at those appointments he gets an ecg and an echo. Last appointment his condition had got worse so he was referred for mri as consultant said it gives a more in depth view of how his heart is coping. Hope that helps x
I have a very ordinary ascending aortic aneurysm which is now being monitored annually with a combination of MRIs and echos. My initial diagnosis was by echo, confirmed by CT.
Echos are great for assessing blood flow and valve function but only give a very limited view of structure. MRIs show the whole picture much better, and if your cardiologist is experienced in viewing them, and has asked for one, then that's their professional call and that's what you need.
Having said that, all of this care is multidisciplinary and sometimes the imaging specialists will have relevant experience and contributions to make, but definitely check with the cardiologist, as others have suggested, to see if they have changed their mind - or not.
Very best of luck!
Definitely an Mri is more in depth scan you can get, and also less harmful than a ct scan as it doesn't involve any radiation. Definitely try to get to talk to your cardiologist and explain the situation.
I had to have an MRI, Echo, Angiogram and TOE Echo before they were able to say what treatment I needed. Oh, and countless ECG’s!
MRI’s are not the quickest of appointments to get round our way, where as Echo’s (inc TOE) and Angiograms are much quicker to get appointments for.
The issue at stake is: the opinions of 2 people who specialise in 2 different aspects of medication - for who tests, and one who treats - but both whom are involved in diagnosis.
The Cardiologist wrote a letter to the Radiologist saying they were looking for evidence of ‘X Symptoms’. The Radiologist may have read the letter and said “Well, I can check for those using a simple Echo - quicker, cheaper and easier” - that is the nature of current medical philosophy.
So, from my MRI is was told I had a very leaky Left Ventricle that could be managed by medication.
However, my Echo indicated things were not as simple as that, so underwent a TOE that said I definitely needed surgery, and an Angiogram that pretty much said I needed surgery there and then. The prescriptive surgery was based on an AVR.
When I got to the hospital for surgery, the AV was the only thing that wasn’t touched 😏
Instead I got a new Aorta and a Triple Bypass and some repairs to my LV.
The moral of my story is this:
Do not be afraid to ask the questions until you have answers that you understand, but at the same time - be prepared to expect changes in tests, order of tests, medication and suggested procedure requirements along the way.
I hope you get the answers and peace of mind that you seek.
Hello,Thank you for that, very informative. You seem to have been through a lot, so I hope your doing well now.
Part of my concern is that the cardiologist, who I did go and see privately to speed things up, has not been very communicative, and also said to me that what I have is very unusual, and he has not seen it before, which took me by surprise. Now all the test confusion, and I'm losing confidence, but from what you've said, a variety of tests may be needed.
I did have an echo in December 2018,along with a stress test, and was told that was all OK. I've got my hospital note's from September 2018 onwards, when all this started but that echo and stress test is missing from them. I'm wondering why the echo in 2018 didn't pick up the problem, and now I'm being given one as a diagnostic to help determine treatment.
Sorry to go on. Yes, I do have to ask them more questions, which also seems easier said than done.
It's no good time to be ill!
You’re not going on, you’re expressing your concerns - and extremely valid they all are.
My Cardio NP has often said that I am one of her easier patients to manage because I ask so many questions and make sure communication is ongoing between all involved.
We have copies of all letters between the clinicians and departments so we can quickly spot a situation like yours. I have to say, my GP Surgery has been excellent - they’ve just said “this is beyond our normal remit - we will leave it totally in the hands of the Cardio Team” - which meant one less set of opinions or conflict of diagnosis etc.
It is YOUR health, not theirs, so you have every right to ask the questions. I once spent almost 90 minutes with my surgeon post op who showed me Echo results with Doppler Effect etc, ECG’s, CT Scans and X-Rays etc - all because post op I was unable to explain to my wife what had gone on or what needed doing. My wife was also present, and after that meeting - we came away completely reassured about everything.
My recovery may not be going as quick as some others - but at least I know what’s going on and what rate I can expect my recovery to take, It is the knowledge and understanding that makes it OK for me and Mrs B - and by the sounds of it, will be the same for you.
Thank you, and all the best to you.
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