Heart Valve Diseases: MedlinePlus [NEW TOPIC PAGE]

Heart Valve Diseases: MedlinePlus

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Understanding Heart Valve Problems and Causes

11/14/2013 09:26 AM EST

Source: American Heart Association
Related MedlinePlus Page: Heart Valve Diseases

Problem: Heart Valve Stenosis

11/14/2013 09:26 AM EST

Source: American Heart Association
Related MedlinePlus Page: Heart Valve Diseases

Problem: Heart Valve Regurgitation

11/14/2013 09:26 AM EST

Source: American Heart Association
Related MedlinePlus Page: Heart Valve Diseases

When a Heart Murmur Signals Valve Disease

11/14/2013 09:26 AM EST

Source: American Heart Association
Related MedlinePlus Page: Heart Valve Diseases

 

A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Heart Valve Diseases

Also called: Valvular heart disease 

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Your heart has four valves. Normally, these valves open to let blood flow through or out of your heart, and then shut to keep it from flowing backward. But sometimes they don't work properly. If they don't, you could have

• Regurgitation - when blood leaks back through the valve in the wrong direction
• Mitral valve prolapse - when one of the valves, the mitral valve, has "floppy" flaps and doesn't close tightly. It's one of the most common heart valve conditions. Sometimes it causes regurgitation.
• Stenosis - when the valve doesn't open enough and blocks blood flow

Valve problems can be present at birth or caused by infections, heart attacks, or heart disease or damage. The main sign of heart valve disease is an unusual heartbeat sound called a heart murmur. Your doctor can hear a heart murmur with a stethoscope. But many people have heart murmurs without having a problem. Heart tests can show if you have a heart valve disease. Some valve problems are minor and do not need treatment. Others might require medicine, medical procedures, or surgery to repair or replace the valve.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Absent pulmonary valve
• Aortic insufficiency
• Aortic stenosis
• Aortic valve surgery - minimally invasive
• Aortic valve surgery - open
• Bicuspid aortic valve
• Cardiac catheterization
• Cardiac catheterization - discharge
• Chest x-ray
• Coronary angiography
• 
  

  

Related Topics

• Cardiac Rehabilitation
• Mitral Valve Prolapse
• Blood, Heart and Circulation

National Institutes of Health

• The primary NIH organization for research on Heart Valve Diseases is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• Heart Valve Disease(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Heart Valves Explained(American Heart Association) 

• Overviews

  • Understanding Heart Valve Problems and Causes(American Heart Association)
  • Valve Disease(Texas Heart Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish

• Latest News

  • Blood Thinner Dangerous for Patients with Artificial Heart Valves, Study Finds(09/26/2013, HealthDay)

• Diagnosis/Symptoms

  • Cardiac Catheterization(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Cardiac MRI(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Chest X Ray(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Doppler Ultrasound: What Is It Used for?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Ejection Fraction: What Does It Measure?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Electrocardiogram(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Stress Testing(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Transesophageal Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • When a Heart Murmur Signals Valve Disease(American Heart Association)

• Treatment

  • Aortic Valve(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
  • How Is a Heart Murmur Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • How Is Heart Valve Disease Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Mitral Valve Repair(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
  • Mitral Valve Replacement(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
  • Options for Heart Valve Replacement(American Heart Association)
  • Valve Repair or Replacement(Texas Heart Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • What Is Heart Valve Surgery?(American Heart Association) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top

• Rehabilitation/Recovery

  • What to Expect After Heart Surgery(Society of Thoracic Surgeons) - PDF
  • Return to top

• Specific Conditions

  • Aortic Calcification: An Early Sign of Heart Valve Problems?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Aortic Valve Regurgitation(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Aortic Valve Stenosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Diseases of the Tricuspid Valve(Texas Heart Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Ebstein's Anomaly(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Heart Murmur(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • JAMA Patient Page: Heart Valve Infections(American Medical Association) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Mitral Regurgitation (Beyond the Basics)(UpToDate)
  • Mitral Valve Stenosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Problem: Heart Valve Regurgitation(American Heart Association)
  • Problem: Heart Valve Stenosis(American Heart Association)
  • Pulmonary Valve Stenosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Rheumatic Fever(Texas Heart Institute)
  • Return to top

• Tutorials

  • Echocardiogram(Patient Education Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Heart Valve Replacement(Patient Education Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top

• Videos

  • If I Had - Tricuspid Regurgitation(Insidermedicine)
  • Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement(OR-Live) - FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, Pinehurst, NC, 4/02/2009
  • Pediatric Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve (TPV) Implantation(OR-Live) - Children's Hospital Boston, Boston MA, 10/04/2007
  • Repair of a Complex Congenital Cardiac Defect(OR-Live) - Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, 10/05/2007
  • Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)(OR-Live) - Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Merriam, KS, 2/17/2009
  • Return to top

• Anatomy/Physiology

  • How the Heart Works(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Return to top

• Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Aortic Valve Stenosis(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Murmurs(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Valve Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
  • Return to top

• Genetics

  • Genetics Home Reference: Geleophysic dysplasia(National Library of Medicine)
  • Return to top

• Journal Articles

  References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
  • Article: Association between early surgical intervention vs watchful waiting and outcomes...
  • Article: Chest pain could be aortic valve disease. Valve replacement may...
  • Article: Game changer: an easier way to replace a heart valve....
  • Article: Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement with self-anchoring Perceval valve.
  • Heart Valve Diseases -- see more articles
  • Heart valve replacement -- see more articles
  • Return to top

• Dictionaries/Glossaries

  • Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia(American Heart Association)
  • Heart Surgery Terms(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
  • Return to top

• Directories

  • Locate a Society of Thoracic Surgeons Member(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
  • Return to top

• Organizations

  • American Heart Association
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  • Return to top

• Children

  • Heart Murmurs(Nemours Foundation)
  • Heart Murmurs and Your Child(Nemours Foundation)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • How the Body Works: The Heart(Nemours Foundation)
  • Return to top

• Patient Handouts

  • Absent pulmonary valve
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Aortic insufficiency
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Aortic stenosis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Aortic valve surgery - minimally invasive
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Aortic valve surgery - open
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Bicuspid aortic valve
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Cardiac catheterization
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Cardiac catheterization - discharge
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Chest x-ray
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Ebstein's anomaly
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Echocardiogram
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Electrocardiogram
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Exercise stress test
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Heart MRI
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Heart murmurs and other sounds
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Heart valve surgery
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Heart valve surgery - discharge
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Left heart catheterization
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Left heart ventricular angiography
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Mitral stenosis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Mitral valve regurgitation
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Mitral valve surgery - minimally invasive
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Mitral valve surgery - open
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Nuclear ventriculography
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Pulmonary valve stenosis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Right heart ventriculography
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Stress echocardiography
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Tricuspid regurgitation
  • Also available in Spanish