Experienced and Innovative Approaches
to Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic
regurgitation is a condition in which the aortic valve does not close properly,
allowing blood to leak from the aorta back into the heart’s left ventricle.
This leakage
increases the left ventricle’s volume load, causing it to dilate and eventually
fail – leading to pulmonary (lung) congestion.
The experienced heart
doctors at UT Southwestern have performed more minimally invasive aortic valve replacements than other North Texas centers – and our
team is a leader in developing new treatments for valve disorders.
While we
offer traditional aortic valve replacement, we strive to perform minimally invasive procedures whenever possible. In most cases, our
heart specialists can replace damaged aortic valves without open surgery, which
significantly reduces patients’ pain and recovery time.
UT
Southwestern also offers a dedicated Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Cardiac rehabilitation is a
critical component of recovery and can prevent future heart disease.
Causes and Symptoms
Aortic
regurgitation can be caused by a number of heart conditions and heart-damaging diseases,
such as:
- Aortic dissection: A rare, serious condition that occurs when blood breaks through the inner
layer of the aorta and ends up between two layers
- Idiopathic aortic root dilatation: A condition typically seen in the elderly and people with high blood pressure or bicuspid aortic valves, a congenital heart condition
- Infective endocarditis: A potentially damaging infection of the valve
- Lupus: A chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body's immune system
attacks its own tissues and organs
- Marfan syndrome: A genetic disorder of the connective tissue
- Rheumatic heart disease: Damaged heart valves and heart failure in patients with a history of rheumatic
fever
- Syphilis: A potentially
life-threatening bacterial infection – typically spread by sexual contact –
that can severely damage the heart, brain, and other organs
Symptoms
of aortic regurgitation include:
- Angina (chest pain)
- Syncope (fainting)
- Heart palpitations, which can be
caused by rhythm disorders (cardiac
arrhythmias)
- Shortness of
breath during exertion, when lying flat, and/or sleeping at night, which
can indicate left-sided heart failure
Diagnosis
UT Southwestern doctors will use several tests to determine the
problem. Common diagnostic tests for aortic regurgitation include:
- Physical exam: Might include listening with a
stethoscope for a diastolic blowing murmur, Corrigan’s pulse, Hill’s sign,
pistol-shot femoral pulses, Duroziez’s sign, de Musset’s sign, or Quincke’s
pulse
- Chest X-ray: Imaging used to check
for heart enlargement and aortic dilation
- Electrocardiogram (EKG): A test used to evaluate
heart rhythm
- Echocardiography (echo or cardiac
ultrasound): An imaging study used to look for abnormal blood flow across the closed
aortic valve
- Cardiac catheterization: A minimally invasive procedure used to evaluate the
degree of aortic insufficiency and look for aortic stenosis or mitral stenosis
Treatment
Patients with aortic regurgitation are treated with medications to
alleviate their symptoms until the criteria for aortic valve replacement are
met. Patients ineligible for valve replacement are also treated medically to relieve
their symptoms.
Drugs used to treat the
symptoms of aortic valve insufficiency include:
- Digitalis compounds:
To improve blood flow
- Diuretics: To
reduce water retention
- Vasodilators: To
widen the blood vessels
Aortic valve replacement is used to treat people with aortic
regurgitation who meet the criteria for the procedure. UT Southwestern offers
both minimally invasive and traditional valve replacement surgery.
Clinical
Trials
As one of the nation’s top academic medical centers, UT Southwestern offers a
number of clinical trials aimed at improving the outcomes of patients with
cardiovascular disease.
Clinical
trials often give patients access to leading-edge treatments that are not yet
widely available. Eligible patients who choose to participate in one of UT
Southwestern’s clinical trials can receive treatments years before they are
available to the public.