Trivial AR

[Ruby40]

Hi everyone,

I recently had an echocardiogram and received the results letter today, but all written in 'Doctor speak'. It said my heart was normal size but I have trivial AR. Can anyone explain this to me please and what it means in practice? I also have to have a CTCA. Has anyone else had one of these and can tell me their experiences? Thanks.

[jamesnufc]

Hi Ruby, dont have any personal expereince of this but a little google shows this. Aortic regurgitation, also known as aortic valve regurgitation or aortic valve insufficiency, occurs when the aortic valve doesn't completely close and allows some blood to leak back into the heart. Aortic regurgitation can be trivial, mild, moderate or severe. Hope this helps take care James

[IanMK]

Hi Ruby40

It's difficult to add any explanation without the full context of the letter. Your GP is best placed to answer your queries so you would be better speaking to them. Your consultant's use of the word 'trivial' sounds like there's nothing to be anxious about.

CTCA stands for Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography, commonly known as an angiogram. I've had one of these around for years ago. It was a pain-free outpatient procedure where a dye was injected into a vein in my wrist and a scanner mapped the flow of blood around my heart. It may be that your consultant wants to have a better look at the operation of your heart valve. I hope this helps.

[Ruby40 in reply to IanMK]

Thanks very much Ian for the explanation. That's what I needed to hear. I didn't know it was the same as an angiogram.

[Ruby40 in reply to Ruby40]

Does anyone else have experience of this that they can share?