What is Aortic Valve Surgery?
AORTIC VALVE SURGERY is performed by heart surgeons to treat Bicuspid Valves, other Congenital Aortic Valve Disease, Aortic Valve Stenosis and Aortic Valve Regurgitation.
There are four valves in your heart including the MITRAL, TRICUSPID, AORTIC AND PLUTONIC VALVES. The Aortic Valve is located between the left ventricle (lower heart pumping chamber) and the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body.
The Aortic valve may be abnormal at birth or become diseased over time, usually seen in older patients. With acquired Aortic Valve conditions, changes occur in the structure of the valve.
Acquired Aortic Valve conditions include:
Infective Endocarditis is a bacterial infection of the valve, which is caused when bacteria enter your blood stream from the site of a remote infection and attach to the surface of your heart valves.
Rheumatic Fever is usually caused by a bacterial throat infection, such as strep throat.
Aortic Valve Degeneration from wear and tear is another cause of acquired Aortic valve disease.
Other causes of Aortic valve disease include: rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammatory diseases, lupus, syphilis, hypertension, Aortic aneurysms, connective tissue diseases, and less commonly, tumors, some types of drugs and radiation for cancers or lymphoma.
Aortic Valve disease occurs when the Aortic Valve does not work correctly. This can be caused by:
Aortic Valve Stenosis. These stiff, fused, thickened, inflexible valve leaflets lead to the narrowing of the Aortic Valve limiting blood flow. This stenosis progresses when calcium is deposited on the valve leaflets, further limiting their mobility.
Aortic Valve Regurgitation (also called "leaky valve").These valve leaflets do not close completely. Regurgitation causes the blood that is ejected by the heart to immediately flow back into the heart once the heart stops squeezing and relaxes.
Many patients with Aortic Valve Disease are asymptomatic (have no symptoms), even when the stenosis (narrowing) or insufficiency (leak) are severe.
There are two types of Aortic Valve Surgery:
