title: The Role of Imaging in Aortic Valve Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aortic valve disease is the most common form of heart valve disease in developed countries. Imaging remains central to the diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with both aortic stenosis and regurgitation and has traditionally been performed with echocardiography. Indeed, echocardiography remains the cornerstone of aortic valve imaging as it is cheap, widely available and provides critical information concerning valve hemodynamics and ventricular function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whilst diagnostic in the vast majority of patients, echocardiography has certain limitations including operator variability, potential for measurement errors and internal inconsistencies in severity grading. In particular, low-gradient severe aortic stenosis is common and challenging to diagnose. Aortic valve imaging may therefore be improved with alternative and complimentary multimodality approaches.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review investigates established and novel techniques for imaging both the aortic valve and the myocardial remodelling response including echocardiography, computed tomography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography. Moreover, we examine how the complementary information provided by each modality may be used in both future clinical practice and the research arena.
authors.affiliation: BHF/Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, EH16 4SB Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Russell J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Everett
authors.affiliation: BHF/Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, EH16 4SB Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Newby
authors.affiliation: St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jabbour
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Zahi A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Fayad
authors.affiliation: BHF/Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, EH16 4SB Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Marc R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Dweck
keywords: Computed tomography; Echocardiography; Magnetic resonance imaging; Positron emission tomography; Regurgitation; Stenosis; Valve