When is a coronary angiogram absolutely necessary?
At this point if it is minor, no. There will come a time when the back flow increases and starts to cause problems. It will cause the atria to dilate. the dilated chamber works less efficiently and harder to empty the excess volume. Progressively, you will start having shortness of breath and several other complications. Basically, the coronary angiogram is absolutely necessary when the leak starts to get significant enough to start causing you to experience symptoms. Your doc can periodically check on the leak by doing a non-invasive test called an echo cardiogram. It is just an ultrasound of the heart and the heart valves can be seen, and the velocity of the leak can be measured. I hope this helps.
