Asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis with normal left ventricular function - A review

Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the commonest forms of acquired valvular heart disease. Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is the treatment of choice for symptomatic severe AS. Conservative management is usually advocated for asymptomatic severe AS. But there are data on predictors to identify subsets of asymptomatic AS patients at high risk of cardiac events in whom early surgical intervention is warranted. Non-invasive tests like exercise stress test, exercise echocardiography will help us to identify those who are at high risk of developing early symptoms due to LV dysfunction and also those at high risk of sudden death. In this article, an attempt is made to review the literature on this subset of asymptomatic severe AS to help clinicians to decide regarding the need for early aortic valve replacement in them.