Aortic stenosis. Clinical evaluation and optimal timing of surgery

Aortic valve disease is common in the elderly with recent data suggesting that aortic sclerosis and stenosis are the end-stage of an active disease process. Aortic atenosis may be diagnosed at symptom onset (angina, heart failure or syncope) but often the diagnosis is suspected in an asymptomatic patient with a systolic murmur. The diagnosis can be confirmed and disease severity evaluated reliably using Doppler echocardiography. Symptomatic severe aortic stenosis is treated with valve replacement, even in the elderly, due to the extremely poor prognosis without relief of outflow obstruction. Management is controversial when there is coexisting moderate aortic stenosis and left ventricular systolic dysfunction.