Valvular heart defect
Heart valves regulate blood flow.
They include:
- tricuspid and pulmonary valve on the right side of the heart
- mitral and aortic valve on the left side of the heart
Heart valve disorders can arise from two main types of alterations or from their combination:
- stenosis, when the valve orifice area becomes narrowed
- regurgitation, when the valve do not close completely
Valve functions degenerations could be:
- primitive, due to valvular structure alterations
- secondary, due to ventricular dilatation or myocardial regional disfunction
The most common symptoms are:
- breathlessness
- arrhythmias
- angina
- weakness
- pre-syncope and syncope
- sudden death
Clinical manifestations depend on the course of the disease and could be:
- slowly evolving, with a long asymptomatic period
- sudden onset, with acute symptoms
Generally, heart valve diseases affect the elderly population and are potentially fatal.
Early diagnosis and timely therapeutic intervention can significantly improve the prognosis.
ProKardia, through a specialized team, offers an assistance aimed to ensure:
- diagnosis
- quantification and identification of valvulopathy mechanisms
- formulate a therapeutic path based on risk stratification and multidisciplinary assessment in order to ensure a correct timing of interventions
- prevention and management of possible complications in patients with valvulopathy
Reference: European Heart Journal (2017) 38, 2739–2791