Valvular Heart Disease - Part I

Valvular heart disease is an important cause of cardiac morbidity in developed countries despite a decline in the prevalence of rheumatic disease in those countries. This chapter discusses the many etiologies of valvular heart disease and presents methods for assessment and management. Specific valvular lesions discussed include mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation, mitral valve prolapse, aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, and tricuspid and pulmonary disease. The section on tricuspid disease includes a discussion of mechanical prostheses (ball-in-cage and tilting-disk) and biologic prostheses (xenografts, allografts, and autografts) and their complications.  This review contains 6 figures, 13 tables, 69 references. Keywords: Valvular heart disease, stenosis, regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, mitral valve prolapse (MVP), aortic stenosis, congenital bicuspid valve, senile valvular calcification, aortic regurgitation, chordae or papillary muscles