Aortic stenosis

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Aortic stenosis

Heart, front view

Heart, section through the middle

Heart valves

Aortic valve stenosis

If there are no symptoms or symptoms are mild, you may only need to be monitored by a health care provider. If symptoms are moderate to severe, you may need to stay in the hospital.

Medications can include diuretics, digoxin, and other medications to control heart failure. Symptomatic people may be advised to avoid strenuous physical activity. People with symptoms of aortic stenosis (difficulty breathing, chest pain, fainting episodes) should have a physical exam every 6 to 12 months and an ECG performed every 1 to 3 years.

Surgery to repair or replace the valve is the preferred treatment for patients who have symptoms. Some high-risk patients are poor candidates for heart valve surgery. A less invasive procedure called balloon valvuloplasty may be done instead. This is a procedure in which a balloon is placed into an artery in the groin, advanced to the heart, placed across the valve, and inflated. This may relieve the obstruction caused by the narrowed valve.

Aortic stenosis can be cured with surgery, although there may be a continued risk for arrhythmias, which can sometimes cause sudden death. The person may be symptom-free until complications develop. Without surgery, a patient who has signs of angina or heart failure may do poorly.

Persons with aortic stenosis, particularly moderate and severe forms, should not participate in strenuous activities, such as competitive sports.

• Left ventricular hypertrophy (enlargement) caused by the extra work of pushing blood through the narrowed valve
• Left-sided heart failure
• Arrhythmias
• Endocarditis

Call your health care provider if symptoms indicate the possibility of aortic stenosis.

Call your health care provider if aortic stenosis has been diagnosed and symptoms worsen or new symptoms develop.

Review Date: 05/30/2006
Reviewed By: Alan Berger, MD, Assistant Professor, Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.