title: How to follow patients with mitral and aortic valve disease.
abstract: Valvular heart diseases (VHDs) place a hemodynamic load on the left and/or right ventricle that, if severe, prolonged, and untreated, damages the myocardium, leading to heart failure and death. Because all VHDs are mechanical problems, definitive therapy usually requires valve repair or replacement. In most valve disease the onset of symptoms marks a change in disease prognosis and is usually an indication for prompt surgical correction. Echocardiography is an indispensable modality for assessing lesion severity, its effect on cardiac function, and the proper timing for lesion correction. Intervention enhanced with percutaneous options now allows patients to benefit from mechanical correction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Beth Israel Medical Center, 350 East 17th Street, 5th Floor, Baird Hall, New York, NY 10003, USA. Electronic address: bcarabello@chpnet.org.
authors.forename: Blase
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carabello
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D000082882:Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004452:Echocardiography; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D010808:Physical Examination; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents
keywords: Aortic valve; Mitral valve; Myocardium; Valvular heart disease