Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)

How will my doctor diagnose ventricular septal defect?

Your child’s doctor will perform a complete exam and look for signs of VSD, which may include heart murmurs. The location within the chest that the murmur is heard best, as well as the loudness and quality of the murmur will give your child’s cardiologist an idea of which, if any, heart problem your child may have.

Tests your doctor may perform include:

• chest x-ray
• electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
• echocardiogram (echo)
• cardiac catheterization
• cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)