If the aortic valve in your heart narrows or gets blocked, you have a condition known as aortic stenosis. In addition to posing serious health risks, this may also prove fatal by preventing the heart from pumping blood effectively out of the body. Because of the decrease in blood flow, less oxygen is delivered to the body. Heartache, difficulty breathing, and even passing out might result from this.
Those who are most at risk for developing aortic valve stenosis are the elderly.
The incidence of aortic stenosis increases sharply after age 65, making the elderly particularly vulnerable. Many disorders are also associated with its onset in middle age. On occasion, a kid may be born with a congenital deficiency of the aortic valve that results in stenosis.
How can Aortic Valve Stenosis be treated?
If your primary care physician has any concerns that you may be suffering from aortic stenosis, they may suggest that you see a cardiologist for further evaluation. A cardiologist will likely make the following diagnoses after considering your symptoms (if any) and doing one or more of the following diagnostic tests:
- In-person checkup- Your doctor may examine your heart sounds and check for edema in your lower legs and ankles. An important symptom of aortic stenosis is a heart murmur, which doctors can usually detect using a stethoscope.
- Imaging procedures such as a chest X-ray, angiogram, or heart CT scan- They all rely on X-rays to provide an inside look at your body. Computers are also used to improve CT pictures. Contrast, or a radiopaque dye, is also used in diagnostic procedures including angiograms and cardiac CT scans. With the use of contrast, doctors are better able to examine the cardiovascular system.
- Echocardiogram- Ultrasound waves are used in this diagnostic procedure to provide doctors with an image of your heart's inside. Transesophageal echocardiograms are a subset of the broader field of echocardiography. It involves the use of a gadget that is placed in the patient's mouth and advanced to the esophagus (which passes right behind your heart). An echocardiogram is performed externally on the chest, whereas this technique allows doctors to observe the heart and its blood arteries from inside.
- Treatment using a catheter inserted into the heart- A specialist may diagnose aortic stenosis by inserting a device into an artery (often the femoral artery near the groin) and threading it up to the heart. If stenosis is detected, the cardiac output may be evaluated as well.
- MRI- One imaging technique that offers in-depth cardiac scans is magnetic resonance imaging. An MRI creates pictures of the body's inside not by radiation like an X-ray or CT scan, but with a very strong magnetic field.
Pay a visit to Dr. C. Raghu now!
Interventional cardiology is Dr. C. Raghu's area of expertise as a Best Cardiologist in Hyderabad. His work in transradial and complicated coronary angioplasty-stent treatments was groundbreaking. Together with colleagues, he has completed over 40,000 coronary diagnostic operations and 20,000 coronary intervention procedures during the last two decades. He oversees four cardiac catheterization labs in different locations in India and internationally.
