Aortic Valve Stenosis
Aortic Valve Stenosis is the narrowing or obstruction of the heart's aortic valve. The aorta is a large artery that originates in the left ventricle (lower chamber) of the heart. The narrowing and obstruction of the aortic valve prevents it from opening properly and blocks the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta and onward towards the rest of the body. Aortic valve stenosis occurs in approximately 5 out of every 10,000 people.1 It occurs more commonly in males than females. Symptoms do not often appear until middle age or older.
Aortic valve stenosis is characterized by the left ventricular pressure being much greater that the aortic pressure during left ventricular ejection. The pressure gradient across the stenotic lesion results from both increased resistance (related to narrowing of the valve) and turbulence distal to the valve. The magnitude of the pressure changes is determined by the severity of the stenosis and the flow rate......
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