Echocardiographic Diagnosis of Foramen Ovale at Child Age

Background: Foramen ovale ( FO) is a hole in the fetal heart through which in the embryo phase, the blood flows free between the left and the right atriums. Scientists agree that the hole closes lately to the first year of life.

Objective: Data analyses of children with FO, examined in the echocardiography room at the Pediatric Ward, Clinical hospital Shtip in the period from 2015 to 2018 year.

Material and Methods: The data is classified according to the age, heart auscultatory finding, echocardiography, pregnancy risk factors, gestational age .

Results: 250 children were examined with diagnosis FO. According to heart auscultatory finding 225 (90%) had systolic murmor 1-2/ 6 degree precordial, 25 ( 10 %) did not have any murmors. By their age, the infants of 0-6 months were mostly affected, 150 (60%), then those of 6-12 months-80 babies (32%) and 20 (8%) were at the age of 12-14 months. Acording to the anamnestic data from the mothers, only 45 (18%) were with complications during the pregnancy and child complications after the birth. By gestational age, 177 (70,8%) children were delivered in term in 40^th gestational week (GW), and only 73 ( 29,2 %) were preterm births in 33-36 GW.Echocardiographic examination showed the folowing results: 174 (69,6 %) had only FO , 76 (30,4 %) ,the rest had more complex congenital heart defects, such as: 30 (12%) with Ductus arteriosus persistens, 18 (7,2 %) with mild degree of pulmonary stenosis, 12 (4,8 %) with Defectus septi ventriculorum perimembranous , 10 (4 %) with Defectus septi ventriculorum muskulrum , 5 (2 %) with Tetralogy of Fallot and one child (0,4%) with dextrocardia.

Conclusion: Parents of children with FO should know that their children are healthy without any physical disabilities. In 20% of the population with FO it persists in older age and can result in migraine and paradoxical embolism with a stroke and it is the reason for dual attitudes should the hole be closed in school age.