It's just over three hours before I have to get up to catch my flight to New York, so I'll need to make this brief and spare the hilarious theatrics that involved today's almost–not–quite–an–appointment, starring a clinic director who thought the appointment had been cancelled, a diagnostician at the wrong facility, and two flunkies in residency who were practically drooling at the chance to get their hands on someone Really Different.
The long and short of it: even with the MRI, they still can't determine pulmonary pressures, which is necessary to determine whether or not I'm eligible for a modified Fontan; the only way to determine that is (you knew it was coming) with a cath.
So, now we start getting serious. Appointments soon to be booked, schedules shifted… and procedures to be executed.
For the med geeks out there, read on to get the MRI summary, with my offset commentary.
Transposition of the great arteries with pulmonary atresia. Duh.
Large inlet VSD. See previous.
Mildly to moderately depressed LV systolic function, EF 40%. That EF could be better.
Mildly to moderately depressed RV systolic function, EF 38%. That EF really could be better, especially since it's my systemic ventricle.
Patent central shunt to the RPA, causing distortion of the mid-RPA. A fake PA, to boot.
Patent left common carotid to LPA shunt.
Vascular spherical structure on RV epicardium. Differential diagnosis includes right coronary branch aneurysm or pseudoaneurysm, RV pseudoaneurysm or other vascular structure. Or, as my cardiologist mentioned, it could be a remnant from a previously taken down shunt.
Numerous, small, aortopulmonary collaterals. Well, that's gonna make any serious rerouting a bitch.
Comments (2)
We're here. Many of us. Right beside you.
Posted by julietta | August 26, 2005 8:55 AM
Posted on August 26, 2005 08:55
Dude, email or call! Keeping our eyes and ears open for you.
Posted by Bill Shunn | August 28, 2005 9:11 AM
Posted on August 28, 2005 09:11