my son had a chest x-ray 2 weeks ago and they just sent a letter stating that there is diminutive blunting of the lateral costophrenic sulci suggesting either tiny bilateral pleural effusions or minimal pleural parenchymal scarring. His aortic valve leaks and he had open heart surgery 12 years ago. What could be the cause of this and should we be worried?
Hi, your child had an operation for Aortic valve regurgitation. Now he has bilateral pleural effusion. This condition is a bit worrying because effusion could be due to the inability of heart to completely pump the blood out. This leads to back pressure and effusion. Get an Echocardiography done to get a view of the current status of aortic valve function along with ejection fraction. If you live in a high tubercular endemic zone, get a Koch work up in form of an ESR and a contour test. Also, consult your cardiologist. Thanks and regards.