cardiovascular disorders
Overview of Cardiac Valvular Disorders
Introduction
Any heart valve can become stenotic or insufficient (also termed regurgitant or incompetent), causing hemodynamic changes long before symptoms occur. Depending on which valve is involved, the most common symptoms include dyspnea, fatigue, and peripheral edema. Most often, valvular stenosis or insufficiency occurs in isolation in individual valves, but multiple valvular disorders may coexist, and a single valve may be both stenosed and insufficient. Heart valve disorders include Aortic Regurgitation : Insufficiency of the aortic valve causing backflow of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle during diastole Aortic Stenosis : Narrowing of the aortic valve, obstructing blood flow from the left ventricle to the ascending aorta during systole Mitral Regurgitation : Insufficiency of the mitral valve causing flow of blood from the left ventricle (LV) into the left atrium during ventricular systole. Mitral Stenosis : Narrowing of the mitral orifice that impedes blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) : Billowing of mitral valve leaflets into the left atrium during systole Pulmonic Regurgitation : Insufficiency of the pulmonic valve causing blood flow from the pulmonary artery into the right ventricle during diastole Pulmonic Stenosis : Narrowing of the pulmonary outflow tract causing obstruction of blood flow from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery during systole Tricuspid Regurgitation : Insufficiency of the tricuspid valve causing blood flow from the right ventricle to the right atrium during systole Tricuspid Stenosis : Narrowing of the tricuspid orifice that obstructs blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle Historically, diagnosis of valvular disorders by observation, palpation, and auscultation was a tough test for aspiring clinicians ( General reference ). Today, with the physical examination supplemented by 