Hello doctor, I had an echo done yesterday, after having chest pains and palpitations for about a month. I looked up to my results and while my results mostly looked good, there was something very alarming in there. It said evidence of atrial septal aneurysm. I cannot get another appointment with my cardiologist until a month from now, and I am not sure I can live like this for a month. Please tell me everything I need to know about the atrial septal aneurysm. I am a 31-year-old female, 5'4", 127 lbs.
Hello. Your symptoms are unlikely to be related to this. An isolated atrial septal aneurysm is a benign condition most of the times, but this may be associated with atrial septal defects which can cause symptoms. So, if you are just having an atrial septal aneurysm and since there is no history of stroke or TIAs in you, it is probably a benign condition. It is important that we look for ASD in you. If there is associated ASDs then it will need closure. So, further management depends on the presence or absence of ASD. So, try to contact the doctor and obtain a full report. However, in either case, it is not immediately life-threatening. So, nothing should happen to you due to this. So, just calm down and you can get some beta blockers like Metoprolol prescribed from the local physician for symptomatic relief. Also, it is better if you can attach your ECG if you have. So, your symptoms are may be due to associated ASD which is not mentioned in your report (attachment removed to protect patient identity) or probably related to anxiety if no other abnormalities seen in echo. So, either it is not immediately life-threatening. Also, this is seen in around 0.5 to 2 percent in normal individuals.