Aortic valve disease

You’re in the right place for the care of aortic valve disease. We’re well known as a leader in treating this condition, and people come from all over the U.S. and even the world to receive care at Aurora. With the most advanced, minimally invasive procedures, we can help you recover faster and get back to the life you enjoy as quickly as possible.

What is aortic valve disease?

In your heart, the aortic valve controls the opening between the left ventricle and the aorta, which is the main artery to your body. With aortic valve disease, this valve doesn’t open and close the way it should.

Aortic valve disease is one of the four kinds of heart valve disease. The other valve diseases are mitral valve disease, tricuspid valve disease and pulmonary valve disease.

Understanding the types of aortic valve disease

There are three main kinds of aortic valve disease. They include:

• Aortic regurgitation: This is when the valve doesn’t close tightly and blood leaks backward into the left ventricle.
• Aortic stenosis: This condition develops when the valve thickens or stiffens and can’t open all the way, preventing blood from flowing properly.
• Bicuspid aortic valve: This occurs when the aortic valve has only two leaflets instead of three to help it close.

Aortic valve disease symptoms

Most often, an unusual heartbeat or a heart murmur is the most common symptom of aortic valve disease. You may also experience:

• Chest discomfort or pain, often worse with exercise
• Shortness of breath that worsens with exertion
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• Fainting, also called syncope
• Heart palpitations
• Irregular heart rate or rhythm (arrhythmia)
• Swollen ankles and feet

Aortic valve disease causes

You may have been born with heart valve disease; this is called congenital valve disease. Sometimes the condition develops later because of a health problem or physical injury.

• Congenital conditions are present from birth and include:
  • Bicuspid aortic valve, which has only two leaflets instead of three, causing the valve to leak or narrow
  • Marfan syndrome, an inherited disorder of the connective tissue
• Infections such as rheumatic fever, a complication of untreated strep throat, or infective endocarditis, an infection of the heart’s lining, can cause valve disease.
• Calcium buildup on the valve may occur as you age. Called aortic valve calcification, calcium that is naturally in your blood accumulates and makes the aortic valve stiffer, preventing adequate blood flow.
• Injury to the chest can cause the aorta to tear, widening the aortic valve and preventing it from closing properly.
• Chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure can affect the heart valves.
• Age can be a factor. Your aortic valve can naturally begin to weaken by middle age and cause aortic regurgitation.

Aortic valve disease diagnosis

Diagnosing aortic valve disease starts with visiting your doctor for a thorough physical exam. They’ll listen to your heart with a stethoscope to check for a heart murmur and ask about your symptoms and family history. They may order additional tests for you, too, such as:

• Cardiac catheterization
• Chest X-ray, CT scan or MRI
• Echocardiogram, including transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Electrophysiology study
• Stress test

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

Aortic valve disease treatment

If your condition needs treatment, you’re in excellent hands. Our specialists are among the most experienced in the state for treating heart conditions, performing about 1,500 cardiovascular surgeries every year.

Your doctor may recommend:

• Valve repair or replacement, using minimally invasive or open-heart procedures, such as:
  • Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive procedure where we use a thin, flexible tube to replace the damaged valve with an artificial one
  • Balloon valvuloplasty, where we thread a catheter with a small balloon on the end through a blood vessel from the groin to the aortic valve and inflate the balloon to stretch the heart valve
• Medication to minimize the risk of blood clots after valve replacement

Care your heart can trust

At Aurora, we have a specialized heart center dedicated to heart valve disease. Here you’ll find a team of highly skilled specialists, the latest treatments – and personalized care for your best heart health.

Look to us for unmatched expertise, the most advanced services and treatments, and the latest in research and clinical trials.