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Aortic Stenosis
Get the facts on Aortic Stenosis treatment, diagnosis, staging, causes, types, symptoms. Information and current news about clinical trials and trial-related data, Aortic Stenosis prevention, screening, research, statistics and other Aortic Stenosis related topics. We answer all your qestions about Aortic Stenosis.
Question: Aortic Stenosis? Any one have information on how long a person with advanced Aortic Stenosis has left to live?or any information at all on this condition?
Answer: In patients younger than 65 years old with symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, the most frequent pathologic finding is a bicuspid aortic valve (normally tricuspid), which occurs in 2-3% of the population, being four times as common in men and boys than in women and girls.
20% of cases with bicuspid valve have an associated heart abnormality, like a patent ductus arteriosus or aortic coarctation.
The bicusp valve has a simple fused commissure and eccentrically oriented orifice ( see figures 46a, 46b, 46c, 47 ).
Due to the stresses of pressure, the valve becomes thickened and calcified, leading to reduced motion. Calcific valvular disease represents the end stage of stage of an active disease process. In the early stages, the aortic side of the valve contains focal lesions characterized by thickening of the subendothelium and the adjacent fibrosa. These lesions contain low density-lipoproteins, Lp(a) lipoproteins, macrophages, and T lymphocytes. Areas of microscopic calcification form within regions of lipoprotein accumulation, and some macrophages within lesions produce osteopontin, a protein that modulates tissue calcification.
This stage of the disease process is evident on echocardiography as a mild, irregular leaflet thickening without obstruction of ventricular outflow and is termed aortic sclerosis. As the disease progresses, calcification and fibrosis increase leaflet stiffness and reduce systolic opening, eventually leading to a reduction in the area of the valve and an increase in forward velocity.
Clinically significant obstruction of flow through the valve is present in about 1 to 2 % of adults over the age of 65 years, and it is likely that most of these patients will ultimately have symptoms necessitating valve replacement.
Obstruction of left ventricular outflow results in pressure overload, with compensatory hypertrophy of the left ventricle to maintain normal wall stress, preserving systolic function, which can improve after valve replacement. Clinical outcome is most closely related to the presence or absence of symptoms.
Once symptoms occur, the clinical outcome is extremely poor, with two year survival rates below 50%. It is well established that this dismal prognosis can be reversed by valve replacement with acceptable levels of operative mortality and morbidity and postoperative survival similar to that of age-matched normal adults.
In symptomatic adults with systolic murmurs,echocardiography is essential to identify those likely to benefit from surgery. Surgery should be considered even for elderly persons and those with left ventricular dysfunction, since they often improve with valva replacement.
But adults without symptoms have an excellent prognosis.The simplest measure of the extent of stenosis is the forward velocity across the aortic valve. This velocity is about 1.0 m per sec. in normals and increases to 2.5 to 2.9 m per sec. in mild stenosis,3.0 to 4.0 m per sec. in moderate stenosis, and more than 4.0 m per sec. in severe stenosis.
Measurement of the area of the valve is useful, being above 1.5 cm2 in mild disease, 1.0 to 1.5 cm2 in moderarte, and in severe disease less than 1.0 cm2.
There is a substantial variation in the degree of stenosis associated with the onset of symptoms; as a result, many asymptomatic patients with severe obstruction are now identified by echocardiography. Although some feel that valve replacement should be preformed in patients with severe aortic stenosis before the onset of symptoms, others feel that the optimal time for surgery is when symptoms develop. Periodic echocardiography is appropriate to determine when to operate. Once symptoms supervene, prompt valve replacement surgery is indicated.
Reference:Otto,C.M.,N Engl J Med.Vol.343,No.9,652-654.
Reference:Rosenhek,R. AND OTHERS,N Engl J MED.,vOL.343,N.9,611-624.
Dilatation of the aortic root may occur as a sequelae of the stenosis.
The normal adult aortic valve opening is 3.0-4.0cm2. Aortic stenosis becomes hemodynamically significant when the area is about 1cm2 to 0.8cm2 (as noted above in the above discussion of the area of the valve orifice which can be classified as to severity of stenosis), as the systolic flow is impeded across the valve.
Diagnosis is suggested by the detection of an ejection high pitched click, a harsh diamond-shaped crescendo, decrescendo, basal systolic heart murmur transmitted into the neck, a soft or absent aortic component of the second heart sound by auscultation, a palpable apical thrust reflecting enlargement of the left side of the heart confirmed by electrocardiography (increased amplitude of the QRS complex with ST and T wave changes, increased amplitude of S waves in the right precordial leads, increased amplitude of the R wave in the left precordial leads, depression of the ST segment and inversion of the the T wave, (see figure 24 )
Doppler echocardiography and echocardiography can determine the severity of the stenosis including degree of thickening, calcification,and reduced mobility of the aortic leaflets and assess the left ventricle contraction function and wall thickness regarding the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy. A bicuspid valve aortic valve can be recognized by the asymmetry of the two leaflets ( figure 47 ).
The doppler tecnique allows measurement of the velocity across the aortic valve, which provides good estimates of the systolic gradient ( figure 46f ), and using the continuity equation the aortic valve area can be calculated ( figure 46e ).
Heart catherterization can be used to judge severity of the valve stenosis (if undeterminable non-invasively) by recording the gradient across the valve, estimating the stenotic area ( figure 46d ), evaluating the left ventricular function and to determine if coronary artery disease is concurrently present.
Symptoms include chest pain (exertional, angina pectoris), fainting, and heart failure (exertional shortness of breath, nocturnal cough, orthopnea, paroysmal nocturnal dyspnea, hemoptysis). The syncope may related to decreased left ventricular cardiac output due to myocardial ischemia both during and separate from exertion or to cardiac arrhythmias (which may also account for episodes of sudden death).
Adults with asymptomatic stenosis have a normal life expectancy, but should receive antibiotic prevention against infection of the aortic valve(see above discussion).
If symptoms develop, survival is limited. Hence, valve replacement should be performed promptly. In asymptomatic younger individuals, however, the documentation of severe aortic stenosis is, in itself, an indication for intervention. Mild aortic stenosis in asymptomatic patients with gradients below 50mm warrants careful surveilance.The management of patients in the intermediate group (gradients 50-75mm Hg) is more controversal, but evidence argues in favor of elective intervention.
Surgery in the young adult with congenital aortic stenosis must be considered as palliative. In the absence of calcification, aortic valvotomy is the procedure of choice. Perioperative mortality in adolescents and adults is extremely low and late survival is excellent. As surgical valvotomy is palliative, catheter balloon valvotomy has obvious attractions as the initial procedure or as treatment for restenosis.
Valve replacement is the only option for valves unsuitable for valvotomy, including those with significant calcification and regurgitation.
Late Results of Aortic Valve Replacement
Late morbidity and mortality in patients after aortic valve replacement are generally quite satisfactory. Actuarial survival at 5 years with various types valve prostheses is about 80% (See Figure 203 Immediately Below).
The degree of left ventricular dysfunction, as well as concomitant coronary disease and coexiting morbid conditions are significant determinants of late mortality. Late deaths are most often due to chronic congestive heart failure, thromboembolic stroke, myocardial infarction in those with coronary disease, and cardiac arrhythmias leading to sudden death, erspecially in those with an enlarged dilated heart.
Sudden death after aortic valve replacement is most commonly thought to due to ventricular arrhythmias, but it may also result from thromboemboli. The risk of thromboembolism is much less after aortic valve replacement than after mitral valve replacement because most patients are in sinus rhythm ( figure 180 ). The thromboembolic risk is lowest after a homograft or pulmonary autograft valve replacement, following which it is virtually zero. Patientswith porcine or pericardial valves have a risk of about 1.5 events per 100 patient years, and in patients with prosthetic valves the risk is 1.5 and 2.5 events per 100 patient years. Thrombosis of prosthetic valves was a more frequent complication with previous prosthetic valves, but it now occurs rarely and only when anticoagulation is stopped for a long period of time. With newer, low-profile, more hemodynamically efficient valves, this morbidity has decreased, and warfarin anticoagulation provides excellent protection from thromboembolism for most patients. It is recommended that patients with mechanical prosthetic valves be maintained on levels of wararin that prolong the INR to 2.5 to 3.5.
Patients with biologic aortic valves, of course, have the risk of late structural valve degeneration. The probablity of freedom from valve reoperation at 10 years in patients witha cryopreserved homograft is about 90%; this is somewhat better than the porcine bioprostheses, where the freedom from structural valve degeneration is about 90% at 8 years and 40% at 15 years. In the aortic position, a bioprosthetic valve is the valve of choice in most elderly patients because the rate of valve tissue degeneration is considerably lower than in younger age groups and the probability of valve tissue failure in patients over 70 is 20% at 10 years. The use of tissue valves in the elderly obviates the use of anticoagulation, which is very advantageous. In the younger age group, mechanical prosthetic valves tend to be used because most patients wish to minimize the probability of reoperation due to valve dysfunction and because of the accelerated fibrosis-calcification in biologic prosthetic valves in children and young adults. An exception is the child-bearing-age female, who should not anticoagulation during pregnancy because of the teratogenic potential of warfarin in the first trimester, and who should receive a biologic valve if replacement is indicated.
Reference:Rapaport,E. and Others,Aortic Valve Disease,Hurst's,Heart,8th Edition,PP1457-1466
It is debatable whether or not any patient who has had significant obstruction should be allowed to participate in competitive sports. A residual gradient greater than 20 mmHg or persistent left ventricular hypertrophy are considered to be contraindications to vigorous physical activity.
Reference:Deanfield,J.E. and others,Adult Congental Heart Disease,Hurst's THE HEART,8TH edition, 1829-1853.
Pathophysiology Of Aortic Stenosis
The AVA has to be reduced by about 50% of normal before a measurable
gradient can be demonstrated in humans.In most patients with AS ,cardiac
output is in the normal range and initially increases normally with
exercise. Later, as the severity of AS increases progessively,the cardiac
output remains within the normal range at rest,but,on exercise, it no
longer increases in proportion to the amount of exercise undertaken or
does not increase at all (fixed cardiac output). With the development of
heart failure,there is a reduction in the resting cardiac output and a
tachycardia.As a result,stroke volume may be so lowered that it results
in a small gradient across the left ventricular outflow tract in spite
of severe AS.
Echo/Doppler, when properly applied , is extremely useful for estimating
the valve gradient and AVA noninvasively.When compared with results
obtained at cardiac catheterization,the standard error of the mean
gradient in the best laboratories is 10mmHg.Thus,the mean gradient by
Doppler can be expected to be within +- 20mmHg (95% confidence level) of
that obtained at catheterization.
Table 1 Suggested Conservative Guidelines for Relating Severity of Aortic Stenosis to Doppler Gradients in Adults with Normal Cardiac Output and Normal Average Heart Rate
Peak Gradient---------- MeanGradient
--------------------------------------… AS
mmHg ---------------------mmHg
Approx.80------------------70 --------------------------Highly likely
60-79----------------------50-69------… Probable
<60----------------------- <50---------------------------Uncertain
Rahimtoola,S.H.,Aortic Valve Disease,Hurst's Diseases of The Heart,10th Edition,Vol.2,Pp.1682-1695.
Cardiac cathetrization remains the standard technique to assess the
severity of AS "accurately".
As indicated in the table below, AS can be considered severe when the valve area is 1.0 cm2 or less or the AVA index is 0.6 per square meter or less.
TABLE 2 A Suggested Grading of the Degree of Aortic Stenosis
Aortic Stenosis , AVA, cm2 , AVA Index, cm2/m2
Mild------------ >1.5 ,------------->0.9
Moderate-------->1.0-1.5, -------->0.6-0.9
Severe------------0.8-1.0 ,--------- 0.4--0.6
Rahimtoola,S.H.,Aortic Valve Disease,Hurst's Diseases of The Heart,10th Edition,Vol.2,Pp.1682-1695.
Natural History and Prognosis
Valvular AS is frequently a progressive disease, the severity increasing over time. The factors that control this progression and the time it takes for severe outflow obstruction to develop are unknown; however, it appears that in the older patient, AS may progress at about twice the rate that it does in the younger patient. In a study of 142 patients with "mild" stenosis (catheterization-proven AVA >1.5 cm2), the rate of progression to severe stenosis was 8 percent in 10 years, 22 percent in 20 years, and 38 percent in 25 years. At 25 years, 3 percent still had mild AS. The duration of the asymptomatic period after the development of severe AS is also unknown; some recent data suggest that it maybe less than 2 years. The outcome of the asymptomatic patient with severe AS is not known. In the study of 123 asymptomatic patients aged 63 ± 16 years, the actuarial probability of death or aortic valve surgery was 7 ± 5 percent at 1 year, 38 ± 8 percent at 3 years, and 74 ± 10 percent at 5 years. The event rate at 2 years for peak aortic jet velocity by Doppler ultrasound of >4 m/s was 79 ± 18 percent, for 3 to 4 m/s was 66 ± 13 percent and for <3 m/s was 16 ± 16 percent. However, the limitations of gradients and of aortic peak velocity obtained by Doppler ultrasound should be kept in mind. The overwhelming majority of adults with severe AS who are seen by cardiologists have symptoms.
Severe disease in adults is lethal, particularly if the patient is symptomatic, with a prognosis that is worse than for most forms of neoplastic disease. The 3-year mortality is approximately 36 to 52 percent, the 5-year mortality is about 52 to percent, and the 10-year mortality is 80 to 90 percent. A recent study of elderly patients (average age 77 years) showed 1-year and 3-year mortalities were 44 and 75 percent, respectively. With the onset of severe symptoms (angina, syncope, or heart failure),the average life expectancy is 2 to 3 years.Almost all patients with heart failure are dead in 1 to 2 years.A combination of symptoms is much more ominous, a sign of a greatly reduced survival.Sudden death, like syncope, occurs in the presence of severe AS.Its wexact incidence is difficult to determine but may be about 5%.
TABLE 3 Natural History of Mild Aortic Stenosis (n=142), AVA>1.5cm2
----- --10 Years------- 20 Years------- 25 Years
Mild------88%----------- 63%------------3 8%
Moderate-- 4%--- -------15%------------ 25%
Severe -----8%------ ----22% ------------38%
Rahimtoola,S.H.,Aortic Valve Disease,Hurst's Diseases of The Heart,10th Edition,Vol.2,Pp.1682-1695
Natural History and Prognosis of Bicuspid Aortic Valves
The majority of congenitally bicuspid aortic valves are nonobstructive at birth,but with the passage of time, a few of these valves become fibrotic, stiffer,and more obstructive and eventually become the site of calcium deposition, primarily among individuals between ages 15 and 65.Important calcium is unusual before the age of 30, whereas grossly visible deposits of calcium are present in the valves of virtually all patients with severe stenosis beyond that age.A much smaller number of individuals born with a bicusp aortic valve develop isolated aortic regurgitation.
Freed,M.D.,The Pathology,Pathophysiology,Recognition,an… Treatment of Congenital Heart Disease,Hurst's Diseases of The Heart,10th edition,Vol.2,Pp.1837-1905.
Aortic dissection is most common in the fifth through the seventh decades of life, but has been reported in children as well as the very old. Men are affected twice as often as women. Certainl congenital lesions (e.g., coarctation and bicuspid aortic valve) are associated with increased frequency of dissection. A greater-than-expected incidence is encountered in patients with aortic stenosis even after aortic valve replacement. The same is true with certain heritable disorders such as Marfan's and Turner's syndromes.predisposes to dissection, especially with stenosis of the valve.
Pregnancy either because of its effects on the aortic wall or because of the attendant hemodynamic stress, has been reported to predispose to medial dissection.This conclusion has been based om the fact that half or more of the reports of aortic dissection in women younger than 40 years have occurred during pregnancy.Since the total nuimber reported is relatively small(certainly in relation to the frequency of pregnancy), and since most reports concern one or few cases, it is possible that selective reporting accounts for this association
Question: What is the average lifespan of someone with Aortic Stenosis? I'm 19 and was born with congenital aortic stenosis the symptoms are just moderate/serious at the moment. I just wanted to know what is my average life span, say with out any medication or operations?
I'm not worried, I'm just interested.
Well I am sort of worried it gets me down because it's really painful. :P
I dunno life expectancy, whatever?
Answer: Nobody thinks of untreated life span these days. Good treatment is available. Some do well with just medications, others with balloon valvotomy or valve replacements. Anyway, with modern treatment, life span of a person with congenital aortic stenosis is pretty long for you to stop worrrying!
Question: What is the average life expectancy of someone with Aortic Stenosis? I'm 19 and was born with congenital aortic stenosis the symptoms are just moderate/serious at the moment. I just wanted to know what is my average life span, say with out any medication or operations?
I'm not worried, I'm just interested. Well I get these sharp pains by may chest from now and then. Is that normal for my illness?
Well I am sort of worried it gets me down because it's really painful. :P
Please help!!!!! :O
Answer: According to the state could stay years and some time take a few months call your doctor and they will tell you
Question: If i was born with aortic stenosis than can i serve in the military? I was born with aortic stenosis and i was just wondering if i wanted to could i join the military.
Answer: Current or history of abnormalities of the arteries and blood vessels (447), including, but not limited to aneurysms (442), atherosclerosis (440), or arteritis (446), are disqualifying.
I don't think so...
Question: What is the average life span if someone has Aortic Stenosis? I'm 19 and was born with congenital aortic stenosis the symptoms are just moderate/serious at the moment. I just wanted to know what is my average life span, say with out any medication or operations?
I'm not worried, I'm just interested.
Well I am sort of worried it gets me down because it's really painful. :P
Answer: Theres no such thing as average life span. There are lots of cases where people surpass them. Doctors are not always right. You can live as long as you dont give up.
You can get an aortic valve replacement. People 65 and older get that and still live so since your heart and body is young then you should have a long life.
Question: How does alcohol affect someone who has been diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis? My brother has been diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis and also is a smoker and does drink alcohol on the weekends. He knows smoking should be elimated but what about the effects of alcohol? Does this also contribute to his stenosis?
Answer: Hi dear....I think we all know, even the youngest person on this site knows, there are no GOOD things that come from smoking or alcohol. They are both addicting drugs that people do to appease themselves. Think about it.
Alcohol plus smoking are stimulants. A stimulant acts on the body by constricting the blood vessels. Caffeine too. Constricting means to make smaller. He has a valve that is smaller than it should be. No one knows what causes this but hereditary plays an important part.
Anyway, since it is naturally smaller, then one goes and drinks or smokes, the entire aortic artery itself gets smaller, along with the other arteries of the body.
Take a hose. Turn the water on a good strong ways. Then bend the hose on a spot making it difficult for the same amount of water to flow what was earlier. The water coming out the end is not as strong, yet the origin or the water is as strong at the spigot. All this water is being pushed against the bent area but is not getting through fast enough.
The spigot would be the heart. It is still pumping at the same strength it was before the drinking or cigarette, but it is pumping against a brick wall so to speak. The blood is not flowing through the constricted valve, and now not so good through the constricted artery, so it is backing up somewhat as well as the heart tries to pump harder to get it through.
It is a perfect recipe for congestive heart failure in the not too distant future. The heart muscle will enlarge as the muscle is being worked too hard, and that is NOT a good thing for a heart. It will be the ventricle that enlarges. The left ventricle pumps the blood through the lungs and since the enlarged ventricle is larger, it it not as effective, so the blood moves through the heart a little slower than normal and the lungs will pick up excess fluid from the blood and deposit it in the lungs making it very difficult to breathe. Left untreated it can kill you. However, the good news is: Surgery can cure the valve. He can have open heart surgery, and a replacement valve placed. My step dad had this and he was like a new man after. Naturally, he quit smoking after smoking for more than 60 years. He was 72 when he had the surgery.
Anyway, I think you can tell him all this, but he may not listen. That is just the way it is. Give him the knowledge. He will do with it what he will. Say a little prayer.
God bless you and him.
Checkout www.healthline.com. It and www.webmd.com are wonderful sites to find out all about medicines and disease processes.
I am an RN
Question: Can a lady operated for severe aortic stenosis become pregnant? I am Mrs.Deepa Gobinath. We are married last Dec 2005.In the month of july 2006 doctors have diagnosed severe aortic stenosis and said that my heart has to be operated.Lady doctors have said if the heart problem is over I can have a child.My husbamd and their family members are angry with me and they have decided to divorce me if I will not have a child? Can I have a child ?
Answer: It is probably not wise to get pregnant before an operation to correct your aortic stenosis.
After the operation, whether or not you can get pregnant really depends on how well your heart is functioning after the operation. If the aortic stenosis has resulted in no significant damage to your heart, then it is quite likely that you will be able to have a normal pregnancy, albeit with a few precautions along the way.
If your heart is severely damaged, then it may not be safe for you to be pregnant. Bear in mind that pregnancy places great stress on the heart owing to the increase in the amount of blood that the heart has to pump around. If your heart is not strong enough, then heart failure may result, which would endanger your life and the life of the foetus.
Question: Does mild to moderate aortic stenosis affects infant's growth? my 1-month old son was diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis with mean gradient of 30 mm HG. So far he does not show any symptoms and thrived well since his birth, but would it affect in the future if the stenosis remains mild to moderate?
Answer: Children with aortic valvar stenosis are usually asymptomatic and in normal health. A heart murmur is the most common sign detected by a physician indicating that a valve problem may be present. Children with mild-to-moderate degrees of aortic valve stenosis will have easily detectable heart murmurs, and are typically without any symptoms at all. Symptoms occur only with severe aortic stenosis. A newborn with critical aortic valve stenosis develops heart failure in the first days of life. This is an emergency situation that requires immediate treatment, either balloon dilation of the valve or surgery. Children with mild aortic stenosis rarely require treatment. However, it is important to note that aortic stenosis may be progressive, and that children with mild disease may eventually require treatment later in life. It is also important to understand that all treatment for aortic valve stenosis is palliative (that is, it does not return the valve to a normal condition). Therefore, before and after successful treatment it is important that all children with aortic stenosis be followed carefully by a qualified cardiologist.
I add a link, with internal links, containing details of this subject
http://www.mayoclinic.org/
aortic-valve-disease/
aortic-stenosis.html
Hope this helps
matador 89
Question: question for people living with CONGENITAL aortic stenosis? I would like to know what life has been like...including surgeries, procedures, activity levels, surprises(good or bad), and the ages of those living with CONGENITAL aortic stenosis...my son is 3 and was born with critical AS with BV and has had 2 valvuloplasty so far.. I would like to hear any of your feedback..thanks so much....mom.
Answer: You might try the Adult Congenital Heart Association website - www.achaheart.org. Hope this helps and good luck to you and your sone!
Question: Do you know how to treat Aortic Stenosis?Who's the best HEART DOCTOR in Grants Pass OREGON area? My 68 year old mother has aortic stenosis with her heart. I am worried about her. She was diagnosed about eight years ago. She had an eckocardiogram done the other day and they saw a decrease however small.
She's a diabetic and she is the only living person in her family. She has a doctor but I want the best for her.
Answer: I wish I could tell you something about aortic stenosis, but I can at least share our experience with Cardiology Consultants in Medford and Grants Pass.
I would start by reading the bios of all the cardiologists there. They work primarily out of Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford, but have a satellite in Grants Pass.
Here's a link:
http://www.ccpcso.com/ccpc-bios.htm
They diagnosed my wife's cardiomyopathy quite early and have a strong team of doctors. So I think it's an excellent place to begin. If she requires a particular type of procedure and they do not perform it regularly, they will be helpful in finding someone to do that procedure. (They were helpful in suggesting other doctors to see at OHSU, but we settled on a doctor at Stanford because of his specialization in cardiomyopathy.) OHSU will probably be your best bet, but a lot depends on your ability to travel and stay in your mother's comfort zone, as well as the need to find a specialist for the procedure in question. And then there's insurance issues... (feh)
The only real problem that I have with this cardiology group has nothing to do with the doctors, but with the population base of the Rogue Valley. There just aren't enough people to have a significant case load of cardiomyopathy patients. You may find that your mother's problem is more common and so you feel comfortable with a surgeon there.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to send me a private message if you want any further details.
-Mark (Ashland)
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