Aortic Valve Stenosis: Treatment Overview

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Treatment Overview

Treatment for aortic valve stenosis usually depends on whether you have symptoms. If you have symptoms, surgery to replace the aortic valve is usually required. View a slideshow on aortic valve replacement surgery .

In most cases, if you have symptoms, the risk of not treating aortic valve stenosis is higher than the risk of having surgery. Most people who have symptoms of severe aortic valve stenosis die within 2 to 5 years if they do not have valve replacement surgery.²

Doctors may prefer balloon valvuloplasty for teens, young adults in their 20s, or people for whom valve surgery is too great a risk. This treatment involves inserting a tiny balloon into the aortic valve and expanding it to open the valve. While this is less risky than valve surgery, it is usually only a temporary treatment in anyone other than young people.

For most people, valve replacement is the only effective treatment. You and your doctor need to decide whether to replace the aortic valve at the time you are diagnosed or delay until later. Depending on the results of your tests, you may also require additional heart surgery during your valve replacement surgery, such as coronary artery bypass grafting. For more information about valve replacement surgery, see:

Should I have surgery to replace my aortic valve?

You may need medicine to prevent or treat a heart infection or heart failure. If you have surgery to receive an artificial valve, you also may have to take blood thinners (anticoagulants) to prevent blood clots from forming. For more information, see the Medications section of this topic.

Last updated:	November 14, 2007
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, George Philippides, MD - Cardiology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC