Treating aortic valve stenosis along with other valve problems
The following valve problems are most like to occur in combination with aortic valve stenosis:
- Mitral regurgitation: A leaky mitral valve
- Mitral stenosis: A narrowed mitral valve
- Aortic regurgitation: An aortic valve that also leaks
How are aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation treated together?
If you have aortic regurgitation in addition to aortic stenosis, replacing your aortic valve will fix both problems. If aortic stenosis is the dominant problem, the aortic valve will need to be replaced when you develop symptoms. If your aortic regurgitation is the dominant problem, you should replace the aortic valve if you develop more than mild symptoms of aortic regurgitation, or if the lower left chamber of your heart (ventricle) starts getting bigger.
How are aortic stenosis and mitral valve problems treated together?
The challenge in treating other valve problems comes when you also have a problem with your mitral valve (either regurgitation or stenosis). It may be to your advantage to repair or replace the mitral valve during the same surgery in which you replace the aortic valve, but it is riskier to have multiple valve surgery than to replace a single valve. As a result, how you approach the treatment of multiple valve problems depends on the combination of problems and which problem is in more urgent need of treatment.
If you are about to have valve replacement surgery for aortic stenosis and your doctor suspects that you may have an undiagnosed problem with the mitral valve, the doctor will want you to have an echocardiogram and possibly undergo cardiac catheterization to check the mitral valve.
If you do have a problem with the mitral valve in addition to aortic stenosis, treatment depends on which valve problem is more severe or whether they are equally severe.
How are aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation treated together?
If both conditions are severe and you have symptoms, evidence of heart failure, or pulmonary hypertension, you should replace the aortic valve and either replace or repair the mitral valve. If you have severe aortic stenosis and milder mitral regurgitation, replacing your aortic valve may improve the function of your mitral valve. In some cases, the surgeon may decide whether to replace the mitral valve during aortic valve replacement surgery.
| Author: | Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: November 14, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine George Philippides, MD - Cardiology | |
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