OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of transvalvar flow rate on aortic valve resistance and valve area after percutaneous transvenous balloon dilatation of the mitral valve in a homogeneous group of patients with rheumatic heart disease. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of 12 patients with combined aortic and mitral stenosis who had undergone balloon dilatation of the mitral valve over a perio...

OBJECTIVE To assess the pattern and progression of aortic valve dysfunction by serial Doppler echocardiographic examinations in ambulatory adult patients with congenital bicuspid aortic valve. DESIGN AND SETTING Retrospective analysis of patients referred for Doppler echocardiography over a four year period. SUBJECTS Fifty one adult patients with echocardiographic diagnosis of congenital bi...

The disease conditions which cause functional change in the aortic valve include aortic regurgitation and aortic stenosis. The aortic sclerosis represents a thickening of the aortic valve, which could progress to the complete stenosis of the aortic valve if not managed. Aortic sclerosis is also considered as one of the markers for coronary atherosclerosis. The treatment involves conservative ma...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to test the effect of a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitor on the progression of moderate to severe aortic stenosis as measured by echocardiography. BACKGROUND Recent retrospective studies support the hypothesis that statins slow the progression of aortic stenosis. METHODS We performed an open-label, prospective stu...

BACKGROUND Aortic valve stenosis (with or without aortic regurgitation and without associated mitral stenosis) in adults in the Western world has been considered in recent years to most commonly be the result of degenerative or atherosclerotic disease. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined operatively excised, stenotic aortic valves from 932 patients aged 26 to 91 years (mean+/-SD, 70+/-12), and no...

The disease conditions which cause functional change in the aortic valve include aortic regurgitation and aortic stenosis. The aortic sclerosis represents a thickening of the aortic valve, which could progress to the complete stenosis of the aortic valve if not managed. Aortic sclerosis is also considered as one of the markers for coronary atherosclerosis. The treatment involves conservative ma...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cardiovascular findings and clinical follow-up of patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome. METHODS We studied 20 patients (11 males, mean age at diagnosis: 5.9 years old), assessed for cardiovascular abnormalities with electrocardiography and Doppler echocardiography. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to confirm the diagnosis of the syndrome. RESULT...

The dominance of the coronary arterial system was determined angiographically in 75 adult patients with isolated aortic stenosis with or without insufficiency, 25 adult patients with pure aortic insufficiency, 51 adult patients with combined aortic stenosis and mitral valve disease, and 44 children with bicuspid aortic valves. There was an unusually high incidence of left dominance in adults wi...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To prospectively address the question whether the assessment of valvular hemodynamics and myocardial function during low-dose dobutamine infusion can guide decision making in patients with aortic stenosis and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS Twenty-four patients with aortic stenosis and LV dysfunction (mean ejection fraction, 28%; New York Heart Ass...

Aortic stenosis is the most frequent valvular heart disease. In aortic stenosis, therapeutic decision essentially depends on symptomatic status, stenosis severity, and status of left ventricular systolic function. Surgical aortic valve replacement or transcatheter aortic valve implantation is the sole effective therapy in symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, whereas the management ...