Patient's question:
When the girl cries hard, it feels like she can't breathe, and she experiences another brief loss of consciousness. Color Doppler shows mild tricuspid jet regurgitation (minimal amount), while everything else is normal. What could be the cause, and how should it be treated?Doctor's answer:
The patient has high pulmonary artery pressure itself. This depends on how high the pulmonary artery pressure is. Sometimes, regurgitation and pressure are not proportional. If the regurgitation is moderate, the pulmonary artery pressure is also high. This pulmonary hypertension is indeed a condition that needs to be addressed, and the cause must be identified. Is it due to left heart inflammation leading to pulmonary venous hypertension, or is it indeed pulmonary artery hypertension? If the latter is the case, a right heart catheterization should be performed to confirm the etiology. For congenital heart disease, MRI is generally sufficient. There could also be HIV virus infection, or chronic liver disease!