Atrial Septal Defect

Atrial Septal Defect

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Diagnosis

Most atrial septal defects (ASD) are discovered because a murmur, an extra heart sound, is heard during a physical exam. In making a definite diagnosis, your doctor may suggest the following tests:

• Cardiac catheterization, which involves injecting a dye into the heart to see how the heart and aorta are functioning on a "video" X-ray.
• Chest X-ray to see the heart's size
• Echocardiogram, a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007