Stenosis, aortic
Narrowing (stenosis) of the heart valve between the left ventricle of the heart and the aorta. This narrowing impedes the delivery of blood through the aorta to the body and makes it tough for the heart to carry out this Herculean task. A normal aortic valve has three leaflets or cusps, but a stenotic valve may have only one cusp (unicuspid) or two cusps (bicuspid), which are thick. stiff and stenotic. Some children with aortic stenosis have chest pain, unusual fatigue, dizziness or fainting. Many children and adults who are affected have few or no symptoms. The need for surgery depends on the degree of stenosis. Although surgery may enlarge the stenotic valve, the valve remains deformed and eventually may need to be replaced with an artificial one. A procedure called balloon valvuloplasty has been used in some children with aortic stenosis. This procedure does not work well in adults. Persons with aortic stenosis need medical follow-up all their lives since even mild stenosis may worsen over time and need treatment.
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A condition in which the pulmonary valve is too tight, so that the flow of blood from the right ventricle of the heart into the pulmonary artery is impeded. This means that the right ventricle must pump harder than normal to overcome the obstruction. Treatment is necessary if the pressure in the right ventricle is […]
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Narrowing of the left ventricle of the heart just below the aortic valve through which blood must pass on its way up into the aorta. The narrowing cuts the flow of blood. Subaortic stenosis may be congenital (present at birth) or acquired as part of a particular form of heart disease known as “idiopathic hypertrophic […]
- Stenotic
Narrowed, as in a stenotic artery. From the Greek “stenos” meaning narrow.
- Stent
A tube designed to be inserted into a vessel or passageway to keep it open. Stents are inserted into narrowed coronary arteries to help keep them open after balloon angioplasty. The stent then allows the normal flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. Stents placed in narrowed carotid arteries (the vessels in the front […]
- STEP procedure
Serial transverse enteroplasty.