Aortic Valve Stenosis
Aortic valve stenosis, a form of valvular heart disease, occurs when the aortic valve fails to open properly, decreasing the flow of blood from the heart.
What causes aortic valve stenosis?
The aorta is the primary artery carrying blood away from the heart, to be used throughout the body. When blood is pumped through the heart, it leaves through the aortic valve.
Sometimes, the aortic valve is unable to open fully, decreasing the flow of blood from the heart. This causes the heart to work harder when pumping blood to the body. To compensate, the heart walls thicken and narrow the heart valve. Over time, this can limit the amount of blood the heart can pump and weaken the heart itself. Aortic stenosis is not very common and occurs more often in men than in women.
There are three main causes of aortic valve stenosis:
- Congenital heart defect
- Calcium deposits
- Rheumatic fever
What are the symptoms of aortic valve stenosis?
People with aortic stenosis may show no symptoms until the disease has progressed significantly. Aortic valve stenosis symptoms can include:
- Abnormal heart sound (heart murmur)
- Shortness of breath with activity
- Chest pain (angina)
- Crushing tightness
- Pain increase with exercise, and relief with rest
- Fainting, weakness or dizziness with activity
- Noticeable rapid, strong or irregular heartbeat (palpitation)
How is aortic valve stenosis diagnosed?
Diagnosing aortic valve stenosis requires your primary care physician to review your health history and perform a physical exam. Abnormal heart sounds, like a murmur or a click, heard through a stethoscope may indicate a valve problem.
Your doctor may order the following tests to diagnose aortic stenosis:
- Chest X-ray
- Doppler echocardiography
- ECG
- Exercise stress testing
- Left cardiac catheterization
- CT scan of the heart
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
If left untreated, aortic valve stenosis can lead to life-threatening heart problems, including:
- Chest pain (angina)
- Fainting (syncope)
- Heart failure
- Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- Cardiac arrest
Because of the risk of complications, it is critical that you receive prompt treatment to ensure the best possible outcomes. If you’re experiencing any unusual symptoms, schedule an appointment with your SSM Health provider to discuss your concerns.
How is aortic valve stenosis treated?
If you have mild or no symptoms, your doctor may simply monitor your condition without treatment. In that case you may be advised to limit strenuous activity and to quit smoking if you currently are.
While there are no medications to treat aortic stenosis specifically, your doctor may prescribe medication to treat the symptoms, including diuretics, nitrates, and beta-blockers.
What is aortic valve replacement surgery?
Your doctor may recommend surgery to repair or replace the valve. With aortic valve replacement, a surgeon removes the restricted aortic valve and replaces it with either a mechanical or tissue valve. This procedure is proven effective to improve quality of life. Learn more about valve replacement.
- Mechanical valves are made from a durable metal. However, they carry the risk of blood clots forming in nearby areas. If you opt for a mechanical valve, you will be put on anticoagulant medication for life to prevent this from happening.
- Tissue valves are another option. These are sourced from organ donors or compatible animals. They are just as effective as mechanical valves, but eventually require replacement. It is occasionally possible to use a patient’s own pulmonary valve through a grafting procedure.
In rare cases, surgical repair may be possible. This is most common in infants where the valve is blocked because of tissue growth instead of calcium buildup. Learn more about valve repair.