When we talk about heart disease, we’re often speaking of conditions such as coronary artery disease, which occurs when blood vessels are blocked by plaque. Structural heart disease, on the other hand, is any heart condition related to a defect of the heart muscle, heart valves, the walls of the heart chambers or the heart chambers themselves.
Some types of structural heart disease, such as congenital heart defects, are present at birth, while others develop later in life through wear and tear on the heart over time.
If you’ve been diagnosed with structural heart disease, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare offers structural heart disease care specifically for your needs. Our providers offer cardiovascular care guided by their extensive and specialized expertise in the heart’s structure.
Take a Heart Health Risk Assessment to learn if you should see a Methodist Le Bonheur cardiologist.
While structural heart disease falls within the overarching category of heart disease, caring for it requires specialized knowledge and best practices. Methodist Le Bonheur’s providers are dedicated to staying abreast of the latest innovations in diagnosing and treating structural heart conditions.
We were the first healthcare system in the world to implement a groundbreaking protocol that enables eligible patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to be discharged home on the same day as their procedure. This award-winning protocol has been peer-reviewed by experts in structural heart disease.
We offer diagnosis and treatment for a full range of structural heart conditions, including:
Some of these conditions, such as a PFO, may not cause health problems, but others can limit blood flow, disrupt the heart’s ability to pump efficiently or increase the risk of a heart attack, blood clots or a stroke.
Mild or early-stage structural heart disease may not cause any noticeable symptoms. As the condition worsens, symptoms may include:
Because many structural heart conditions interrupt how the heart pumps blood, other parts of the body may also experience symptoms.
Some structural heart conditions, including PFOs and ASDs, are present at birth. In other cases, your risk of developing a structural heart disease is higher due to another medical condition, such as:
Your risk also increases as you get older as calcium can build up in the heart valves.
In addition to these unchangeable risk factors, there are also some risk factors within your control, such as excessive alcohol intake and illegal drug use. Avoiding these can help lower your risk.
There’s no foolproof way to prevent structural heart disease, but a heart-healthy lifestyle can help protect your heart:
If you have any medical conditions that increase your risk of structural heart disease, work with your providers to effectively manage those conditions through lifestyle changes or medications.
Congenital heart defects may be detected during testing performed during pregnancy. Structural heart disease in adults is often discovered during routine medical visits when a medical provider listens to your heart.
A heart murmur during a checkup can prompt a provider to refer you to a structural heart specialist. To determine whether you have a structural heart disease, a specialist may use advanced cardiac imaging and multiple tools, including:
Together, these tools can provide a structural heart specialist with an accurate, well-rounded look at your heart’s structure and functioning.
In some cases, structural heart disease may not require treatment beyond regular monitoring, at least not immediately. However, treatment is needed when significant damage causes strain on the body. Treatment may include:
When structural heart disease can’t be treated using minimally invasive techniques, open (or traditional) cardiovascular surgery may repair or replace a damaged valve.
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital treats pediatric patients with structural heart disease. Its congenital heart surgery program is recognized as a top pediatric cardiology and heart surgery program, providing specialized care for patients with congenital heart defects.