Additional chord in the heart: symptoms and dangers. Is an additional chord in a child's heart dangerous? Accessory chord in a child's heart

The normal notochord in the heart is a fibrous tissue resembling a muscle that connects opposite walls of the left ventricle of the heart. An extra chord in the heart is an anomaly in the structure of the human body: in the ventricle of the heart, the muscle figurative structure has an atypical attachment to the walls of the ventricle. Until now, experts argue about the harm it brings to human health. Many of them claim that it does not perform any functions in the human body at all and, accordingly, does not require any treatment. However, regular visits to a cardiologist are recommended. After all, in any case, it creates heart murmurs that can interfere with hearing other complications in the heart.

TYPES OF CHORDS IN THE HEART

Chords can be different in their location. They are divided into several types.

1. Chords can be located in different chambers of the heart:

• left ventricular (their majority - about 95% of all chords);
• right ventricular (there are only about 5%).

2. Different parts of the ventricles:

• apical;
• middle;
• basal.

• diagonal;
• longitudinal;
• transverse.

4. The number of chords is different:

• multiple (their number is about 38%);
• single (about 62% of them).

REASONS FOR THE APPEARANCE OF AN ADDITIONAL CHORD IN THE HEART

There can be only one reason for this heart defect - it is heredity, and only on the maternal side. Most often, the mother herself does not even suspect that she has this “muscle”.

SYMPTOMS OF EXTRA CHORDS IN THE HEART

An extra chord in the heart of a child almost does not manifest itself in ordinary life. It can only be recognized by ultrasound, when the doctor hears a heart murmur. In children, chords are found much more often than in adults. Experts explain this by the fact that the volume of the heart increases with age and the chords gradually shift. Usually, the presence of an extra chord in the heart is detected by the fact that the child's endurance decreases and he quickly gets tired during heavy physical exertion.

Only detailed computer diagnostics will determine whether a person has an additional chord in the heart.

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF ADDITIONAL CHORDS IN THE HEART

Many experts argue that the false chord of the heart is not at all dangerous to humans. However, there may be several of them, which means that they will entail serious heart rhythm disturbances, there will be problems with exercise tolerance.

1. Dancing, gymnastics and physical education should be limited. With such a diagnosis, they are not taken into the army. Swimming under water and skydiving are contraindicated. With professional sports it is better not to take risks.

2. Rational alternation of rest and work.

3. Therapeutic exercise:

• various drill exercises;
• active use of sports equipment: wall bars, inclined boards, benches, hoops, balls, jump ropes;
• dance steps;
• applied exercises: climbing, climbing, jumping, running.

Therapeutic exercises in the presence of an extra chord in the heart can be carried out both in specially formed medical groups and individually. Firstly, such exercises are aimed at strengthening health in general, and secondly, they develop endurance and coordination of movements, which is exactly what patients with this disease lack.

4. Rational nutrition.

5. Normalization of the daily routine.

6. Stabilization of the nervous system.

7. Treatment of chronic diseases.

The abnormal chord of the heart, indeed, is not treated with conventional drugs, but you need to constantly remember about the daily routine and rational nutrition. Most experts do not consider the chord a deviation from the norm.

Chord or trabecula

Regarding the topic of small anomalies in the development of the heart, to which the additional chord of the cavity of the left ventricle belongs, one can hear two concepts - a chord and a trabecula. These two words have different meanings and should not be confused. The heart is a hollow muscular organ, which is divided into four cavities inside - chambers. The heart has two atria and two ventricles. The right atrium and right ventricle communicate with each other by a tricuspid valve, the left atrium and left ventricle are connected by a mitral valve, which has two cusps.

The operation of the valves is carried out thanks to the existing chords and trabeculae. From the free edges of the valve flaps, tendon threads stretch like sails - in other words, chords. The notochord, attaching to the trabeculae, connects to the papillary muscle of the left ventricle. Here is such a simplified diagram of the structure of the valve apparatus of the ventricles. Thanks to the coordinated work of the valves and the myocardium of the ventricles, blood from the cavities of the heart enters the systemic and pulmonary circulation through the efferent vessels.

2 Prevalence and causes

An additional chord, like an open foramen ovale (FOA), is a common small anomaly in the development of the heart in newborns. This is not a heart disease, but only a deviation in its development. This term means that this anomaly should not lead to heart failure. Since LVDC is most easily detected by ultrasonography (ultrasound), appropriate conclusions can be drawn.

Scientists involved in the study of this issue came to the conclusion that with ultrasound of the heart, the frequency of occurrence can reach 22 percent. Although this figure can vary significantly.

Most often, an additional chord is found already in childhood. What causes anomalous left ventricular chord (AHL)? The lion's share in this situation is played by heredity. If parents have this kind of heart anomaly, then there is a good chance that their child may also have LVH. In addition to heredity, a number of factors also play a role in the development of this heart anomaly. The intrauterine period consists of certain time intervals in which one or another system is especially vulnerable.

For the cardiovascular system, such a dangerous period is the 5-6th week of intrauterine development. Therefore, the use of alcohol by the future mother, smoking, drugs, excessive physical activity, stressful situations, weakened immunity, exposure to radiation can play a negative role in the development of the cardiovascular system. On the part of the child, intrauterine infections can be a causative factor in the development of LVCD.

3 What can be additional chords

So, depending on the location, the chords can be longitudinal, diagonal and transverse. If it is located in the region of the apex, base, or in the middle part, it is described accordingly - apical, basal and median. This anomaly can be not only in the left, but also in the right ventricle. According to the number of chords can be single or multiple. Depending on the histological structure, additional chords of the left ventricle can be fibrous (connective tissue), muscular and fibromuscular (mixed).

4 What is the danger of an additional chord

This question is perhaps one of the most common that worried parents of their child may ask. It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Allocate hemodynamically significant chords. This means that the presence of ARCL has an impact on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Single diagonal or longitudinal chords, as a rule, do not disrupt the work of the heart, unlike the transverse chord. Multiple chords are also considered hemodynamically significant, as they can affect the work of the left or right ventricle and the cardiovascular system as a whole.

Relaxation of the myocardium of the ventricle, a change in the speed of blood flow may be disturbed. Moreover, multiple additional chords may indicate that the child has dysplasia (developmental disorders) of the connective tissue. ARCH in children can be the cause of cardiac arrhythmias. The most common cardiac arrhythmias in a child with ARCL may be extrasystoles (extraordinary contractions), early ventricular myocardial excitation syndrome, and early ventricular repolarization syndrome.

Multiple additional chords are dangerous because atrial fibrillation may develop in the patient. This circumstance can be explained by the fact that they may contain additional pathways. Perhaps someone is interested and concerned about the question, can the valve chord come off? Separation of an additional chord, if it happens, which is extremely rare, this, as a rule, does not worsen the patient's condition. By and large, small heart anomalies do not pose a health risk.

5 Symptoms and signs of ARCH

The presence of clinical symptoms and signs in a child with this anomaly of the heart is not necessary. The child can grow and develop like normal children. The location of an additional chord in the right ventricle or multiple chords may give a clinical picture. The child may complain of fatigue and weakness. It may be difficult for him to perform physical activity. May experience dizziness and palpitations.

A child with this heart anomaly may also complain of interruptions. Such children may be emotionally labile (unstable). In this case, you should not refer to a transitional age if a teenager complains about his well-being. Do not rush to convict the child of unwillingness to study or perform their household chores. Contact a specialist. Additional chords of the left ventricle in a child may be combined with signs of connective tissue dysplasia.

Patients with this anomaly may have a thin physique, high growth, impaired posture (deformity of the spine, ribs, pelvic bones), increased joint mobility, myopia, nephroptosis (prolapse of the kidneys), disorders in the digestive organs, etc. In case of shortness of breath, fatigue , sweating children with an extra chord of the left ventricle or right ventricle should be examined by a specialist.

6 Diagnosis and treatment

An accessory chorda of the left ventricle may become an incidental finding during an ultrasound examination of the heart. Even before the appointment and conduct of an ultrasound of the heart, a specialist can listen to a systolic heart murmur in a child. However, a heart murmur is not a mandatory diagnostic feature. An electrocardiographic study can detect cardiac arrhythmias, but this method alone cannot be used in the diagnosis of this heart anomaly.

To detect cardiac arrhythmias, 24-hour Holter monitoring and bicycle ergometry can be prescribed. When the diagnosis is clear, you can get down to business. Treatment for LVAC or multiple chords depends on the situation. Let's start with a single chord in the left ventricle in a child. This situation, in the absence of other issues, does not require treatment and restriction of the child's physical activity.

If, on the ultrasound of the heart, it turned out that your child has a transverse chord or multiple chords, and they are hemodynamically significant, the situation is completely different. Everything comes from the clinical picture and the objective status of the patient, which is assessed by the specialist during the examination. If functional disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system are detected, but they do not cause any complaints in the child, drugs can be prescribed that "reinforce" the heart muscle.

Potassium and magnesium preparations, B vitamins and nicotinic acid, antioxidants can be prescribed by a specialist in this case. The situation is different with hemodynamically significant LVDC in a child. Perhaps, in rare cases, you will need to take antiarrhythmic, diuretic, antihypertensive and other groups of drugs. If drug therapy is ineffective, surgical intervention can be used to correct the rhythm disorder.

Regardless of the clinical situation, it is good for all patients with minor cardiac anomalies to heed the advice. Proper nutrition has never harmed anyone, and this is only to the benefit of patients with minor heart anomalies. It is advisable to refuse fried, fatty, excessively salty. It is better to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. Particularly useful are apples, grapefruit, pomegranate, persimmon, lemon, tomatoes, baked potatoes, garlic. For patients with minor heart anomalies, hardening, daily exercise, and tireless walks in the fresh air are recommended.

Night sleep should not be less than 8 hours. During work, do not forget about a break or a good rest. At the slightest complaint, not only from the side of the cardiovascular system, it is necessary to seek medical help in order to prevent the process from becoming chronic. Gymnastics enthusiasts, dancers, runners and swimmers can continue their activities, but everything should be within reason. But it is advisable to forget about extreme sports (diving and skydiving) for patients with minor heart anomalies. Take care of your family and be healthy!

Which looks like a muscle. Its function is to connect the opposite walls of the left ventricle of the heart. But an extra chord in the heart is an abnormal deviation in the human body and is an unusual strengthening. Experts still do not agree on how it is dangerous to human health. It is believed that there is no need to treat it. But it is still recommended to regularly visit a cardiologist for control: there is a risk of not noticing other problems, regular examinations will help to respond to a change in condition in time.

Varieties of chords

According to the different location, the additional chord in the heart has several types:

1. They can be located in different heart chambers, according to this feature, they are distinguished: left ventricular (this type is the most common - about 95%) and right ventricular (their share is only about 5%).

2. According to the location of the ventricles, the chords are: apical; middle; basal.

3. They can also differ in direction: diagonal, longitudinal, transverse.

4. Chords have a different number: multiple (38% of all cases) and single.

Additional chord in the heart: the reasons for its formation

The most common cause is heredity. This anomaly is transmitted exclusively through the maternal line. Quite often, a woman does not know that she is the carrier of such a defect.

Symptoms

In childhood, an abnormal chord may not give itself away. Therefore, it can only be detected with the help of an ultrasound examination. Among children, extra chords are more common than among adults. Experts believe this is because as we age, the volume of the heart increases, causing them to shift. Most often, an additional chord in the heart can be detected with a sharp loss of endurance and chronic fatigue.

What are chords dangerous and how to treat them

According to many experts, such a heart defect is completely harmless to health. However, if there are several chords, heart rhythm disturbances and exercise intolerance may occur. In this case, classes in sports sections are limited, including dancing and gymnastics. You can also forget about skydiving and diving. People with such a diagnosis need to focus on physiotherapy exercises with the active use of a variety of exercises and sports equipment.

Lead a healthy lifestyle

An additional chord in the heart requires therapeutic exercises, which are carried out both in special medical groups and on an individual basis. The primary task of such classes is to improve health in general, develop endurance and coordination of movements. This disease cannot be cured with conventional medicines, however, it is necessary to adhere to the daily regimen and a rational diet, to avoid overload. Then this problem will very rarely remind of itself.

• Necessity of the chord
• Varieties of chords
• Causes of pathological formation
• Symptoms of the pathological phenomenon
• Diagnosis for suspected extra chord
• Treatment of the disease

When an additional chord is found in the heart of a child, it is very difficult for many adults to remain calm. In a panic, parents begin to look for medical centers, standing in line for consultations with pediatric cardiologists. They begin to read literature on the relevant topics on their own. But the baby gets it too. Instead of living in peace and gaining experience in the game, he is pestered by examinations, passing all kinds of tests and diagnostics. Whether it is really worth showing excessive concern or not, this will be clarified further.

Necessity of the chord

Functioning is reduced to ensuring a unidirectional blood flow and preventing mixing of venous and arterial blood. With the next pulsation of the heart, the valve, slightly bent and not opened, continues to hold back the blood. Special "springs" called chords contribute to the adoption of this position. The human heart is endowed with several chords, consisting of muscle tissue. In the presence of greater density and thickness, the chord on an ultrasound examination becomes more visible than others.

Doctors classify all detected chords into two categories:

• does not matter for hemodynamics;
• important in hemodynamics.

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Varieties of chords

An extra chord in the heart in children does not indicate its presence in any way. It is found by chance during inspection. Doctors consider a false chord to be a genetic disease, more often inherited from maternal roots. And despite this, such an anomaly does not particularly affect the functioning of the heart and other important organs. And the help of medicine here comes down to systematic observation by a doctor, who can predetermine the development of pathological conditions.

Chords may originate in different cardiac chambers or in the ventricle, but in most situations they are visualized in the left ventricular valve. The direction of the chord is different: oblong, transverse or diagonal. It happens that it changes its position over time. 70% of such people have 1 chord and approximately 25-35% have many.

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Causes of pathological education

The main reason (as noted above) is considered to be genetic factors. When a mother suffers from cardiovascular diseases, the likelihood that the baby will develop one or more pathologies is very high (in addition to this, there may still be an open oval window,). They do not discount the influence of an unfavorable natural ecological situation, the connection with mutagenic sources (tobacco toxins and drugs, alcohol taken by a pregnant mother) in the process of laying connective tissue (approximately corresponds to 6 weeks during intrauterine formation) and throughout the entire period of pregnancy.

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Symptoms of the pathological phenomenon

The disease, expressed in the heart as a single thread (which is most often observed), does not show signs at all. Throughout life, it exists, but does not give out symptoms. However, suspicions of such an abnormal development of the heart arise immediately after the birth of the baby due to the presence of a systolic murmur in the heart during its auscultation. Therefore, the diagnosis is almost always made in newborns and at the stage of early age (small children under 3 years old).

The frequency of occurrence of this pathology has increased at the present time, which is explained by the recently introduced treatment and diagnostic standards. According to the requirements, upon reaching 1 month, each child should have an ECHO-KG (or) to exclude the presence of pathology in the cardiovascular system.

Sometimes, with the intensity of growth of a child with a pathology in the heart (especially when the growth of the musculoskeletal system of internal organs and the heart is ahead of it), the load on him increases. Then note cardialgia (painful tingling in the region of the heart), palpitations, fatigue and weakness in general, dizziness, psycho-emotional lability as signs of neurocirculatory (vegetovascular) dystonia.

Irregularity of the heart rhythm is also noted. Such symptoms appear among adolescents, accompanying a person and already in adulthood.

With multiple chords, the doctor takes into account the fact that the connective tissue is located throughout the body (in other internal organs, the musculoskeletal system). Therefore, clinical signs can occur from other organs and systems. In such situations, we are talking about connective tissue dysplasia, characterized by skeletal deformities, disorders of the framework of the tracheobronchial tree, organs of the digestive system, and urinary system.

Numerous chords detected in the heart by ultrasound and in the presence of pathologies in other organs give reason to believe that the connective tissue is poorly developed throughout the body.

A thorough examination by a cardiologist and pediatrician (with reference to other specialists) allows us to conclude whether the notochord is a self-sufficient pathology or it has developed as a result of damage to the connective tissue.

In the first situation, the anomaly does not give out signs, and in the second, the symptoms are associated with other organs. And this involves a comprehensive diagnosis and monitoring of the patient.

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Diagnosis for suspected extra chord

Diagnostics is as follows:

• examination by a doctor with mandatory auscultation (listening) of the child, in which the doctor hears systolic;
• ECHO-KG (or ultrasound) is a mandatory event in the diagnosis of an additional cardiac chord.

Often, in children under 18 years of age, doctors find in the heart a small, thread-like connective tissue in the left ventricle called the notochord. Hearing the name of this "minor" anomaly, parents panic. But this is not worth doing, since exactly this one is diagnosed as an additional chord and is not a fatal disease. However, it has another side - a more dangerous one.

Chord in the left ventricle of the heart - pathology or norm?

Depending on the location in the heart:

• Right ventricular accessory chord;
• Left ventricular accessory chord.

Depending on the histological structure:

• fibrous;
• Fibromuscular;
• Muscular.

Depending on the place of attachment:

• apical;
• median;
• Basal.

Depending on the direction of the connective tissue:

• Diagonal;
• Longitudinal;
• Transverse.

Depending on the number of threads:

• Single;
• Multiple.

Causes of the formation of a chord of the left ventricle

In 92% of cases, an additional chord occurs due to a hereditary tendency to the disease. It is transmitted through the maternal line, less often through the paternal line. Therefore, if a mother knows that an additional chord was previously found in her in the left ventricle of the heart, it is worth thinking about her child, since the chord does not make itself felt for a long time, and this can cause a complex disease in the future.

Diagnosis of anomalies of the heart

In order to accurately diagnose - an additional chord in the left ventricle of the heart, the doctor prescribes. Thanks to ultrasound, the doctor can quickly, painlessly and accurately diagnose or pathology. In addition, echocardiography allows you to study the heart in real time and in motion.
The problems of the additional chord are also studied with the help of the Doppler method, which helps to determine the length of the thread, its thickness, the place of attachment and the speed along it.

Treatment and prevention of an additional chord in the left ventricle of the heart

Additional chord is not treated traditionally. The only right decision when it is detected is the correct mode, and a ban on certain sports: scuba diving, parachuting, and some types of dancing.
Having diagnosed the chord, the doctor specifically prescribes the patient to attend individual or group physical therapy, which consists of the following set of exercises.

1. Dance steps of slow types of dances;
2. Structural exercises;
3. Occupation on the Swedish wall, bench, with a hoop, rope and ball.
4. Supervised short distance running, jumping, rope exercise.
5. In addition, the patient is advised:
6. Follow the daily routine.
7. Eat properly;
8. Avoid ;
9. Walk on;
10. Get tested annually.

It is forbidden:

1. Strong. Work must alternate with rest;
2. The use of drugs without consulting a doctor;
3. Psychological stress;
4. Professional sports.

Despite such doctor's recommendations, psychologists advise not to protect the child from school, entertainment with friends. Children must independently go through all the stages of socialization and not feel alone or protected from the world. Therefore, in addition to home instructions, with children who have an additional chord in the left ventricle of the heart, the school psychologist and doctor should conduct conversations and regularly check the child's condition.
Diagnosis of an additional chord in the left ventricle of the heart:

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