6 - Aortic valve disease

Summary

Aortic valve (AV) disease is very common in Western populations. Aortic sclerosis is diagnosed when there is an ejection systolic murmur present in the AV region due to calcification in the ascending aorta, with associated turbulent flow. Aortic stenosis (AS) is differentiated from sclerosis when significant restriction of cusp movement and a raised transaortic peak velocity is seen on echocardiography. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) evaluation of AS starts with a 2D examination of the mid-esophageal short-axis (ME SAX) and long-axis (LAX) views of the valve. Continuous-wave Doppler (CWD) is applied to measure flow velocity across the valve and then calculate a pressure gradient using the Bernoulli equation. Aortic regurgitation (AR) results from a primary valve lesion, an abnormal aortic root and/or ascending aorta, or a combination of both. TEE is valuable in revealing important aspects of AV disease.