title: Valvular heart disease: diagnosis and management.
abstract: Valvular heart disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in India. Advances in both surgical and percutaneous techniques and a better understanding of timing for intervention accounts for the current increased rates of survival. Echocardiography remains the gold standard for diagnosis and periodic assessment of patients with valvular heart disease. Generally, patients with stenotic valvular lesions can be monitored clinically until symptoms appear and most can now benefit from percutaneous techniques. In contrast, patients with regurgitant valvular lesions require careful echocardiographic monitoring for left ventricular function and may require surgery even if no symptoms are present. Percutaneous therapy of valvular regurgitant lesions is yet to evolve fully.
authors.affiliation: Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi.
authors.forename: Suman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhandari
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Subramanyam
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Trehan
mesh_terms: D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000473:pathology