Five weeks after Lia’s CT scan in Chicago, we finally heard back from the physician about impressions and next steps. The scan indicates that Lia’s coarctation of the aorta is very minor and does not warrant immediate correction. For now, she will have a cardiac echocardiogram and blood pressure checks done every three months in Rockford. If the coarctation does not worsen in the meantime, physicians will likely opt for a less invasive treatment later on, when Lia is a little older. This would most likely be balloon treatment (angioplasty/stent) rather than surgical correction. The scientific literature states that treatment is optimially performed before five years old before long term complications occur, so there is plenty of time to correct if the narrowing does not worsen (a possibility).
We appreciate everybody’s support and prayers through this journey so far and appreciate your ongoing prayers. The degree of Lia’s coarctation revealed on CT compared with the original echocardiogram impressions is an answer to your prayers. We have gone from “she’ll likely need surgery in the next six weeks” to “her narrowing is minor, we’ll just monitor it for now.” Thank you for praying!
