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Aortic valve

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	Aortic valve
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	Topics Aortic valve Topic Home The aortic valve is one of the valvesHeart valve In anatomy, the heart valves are valves in the heart that maintain the unidirectional flow of blood by opening and closing d... of the heartHeart The heart is a hollow, muscular organ in vertebrates, responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, r... . It lies between the left ventricleLeft ventricle Overview The left ventricle is one of four chambers in the human heart.... and the aortaAorta The aorta is the largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated... . Function & Physiology During ventricular systoleSystole (medicine) Systole is the contraction of heart chambers, driving blood out of the chambers.... , pressurePressure Pressure is the force per unit area applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular to that surface.... rises in the left ventricle. When the pressure in the left ventricle rises above the pressure in the aorta, the aortic valve opens, allowing bloodBlood Blood is a highly specialised circulating tissue consisting of several types of cell suspended in a fluid medium known as pl... to exit the left ventricle into the aorta. When ventricular systole ends, pressure in the left ventricle rapidly drops. When the pressure in the left ventricle decreases, the aortic pressure forces the aortic valve to close. The closure of the aortic valve contributes the A₂ component of the second heart sound (S₂). Disease of the aortic valve There are two protypical processes that can affect the aortic valve - aortic stenosis in which the valve fails to open fully, thereby obstructing blood flow out from the heart, and aortic insufficiencyAortic insufficiency Aortic insufficiency, also known as aortic regurgitation, is the leaking of the aortic valve of the heart that causes ... , also called aortic regurgitation, in which the aortic valve is incompetent and blood flows passively back to the heart in the wrong direction. These two conditions frequently co-exist. Common causes of aortic stenosis include rheumatic feverFacts About Rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease which may develop after a Group A streptococcal infection and can involve the hea... , degenerative calcification, and congenital diseases such as bicuspid aortic valveBicuspid aortic valve A bicuspid aortic valve is a heart condition that is usually due to a congenital deformity.... . Common causes of aortic regurgitation include dilation of the aorta, previous rheumatic feverFacts About Rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease which may develop after a Group A streptococcal infection and can involve the hea... , infection, i.e. infective endocarditis, myxomatous degeneration of the aortic valve, and Marfan's syndrome. Bicuspid aortic valve The most common congenital abnormality of the heart is the bicuspid aortic valveBicuspid aortic valve A bicuspid aortic valve is a heart condition that is usually due to a congenital deformity.... . In this condition, instead of three cusps, the aortic valve has two cusps. This condition is often undiagnosed until later in life when the person develops symptomatic aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis occurs in this condition usually in patients in their 40s or 50s, an average of 10 years earlier than can occur in people with congenitally normal aortic valves. Aortic Valve Replacement Aortic valve replacementFacts About Aortic valve replacement Aortic valve replacement is a surgical procedure in which a patient's aortic valve is replaced by a different valve.... means that a patient's aortic valve is replaced by a different valve. The aortic valve can be affected by a range of diseases and require aortic valve replacement. The valve can either become leaky or stuck partially shut. Aortic valve replacement currently requires open heart surgery. Research is being done now to develop valves that can be implanted using a catheterCatheter In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity duct or vessel.... without open heart surgery. There are two basic types of artificial heart valve, mechanical valves and tissue valves. Tissue heart valves are usually made from animal tissues, either animal heart valve tissue or animal pericardial tissue. The tissue is treated to prevent rejection and to prevent calcification. There are alternatives to animal tissue valves. In some cases a human aortic valve can be implanted. These are called homografts. Homograft valves are donated by patients and harvested after the patient expires. The durability of homograft valves is probably the same for porcine tissue valves. Another procedure for aortic valve replacement is the Ross procedureRoss procedure The Ross procedure is a cardiac surgery operation where a diseased aortic valve is replaced with the person's own pulmonary... (after Donald Ross) or pulmonary autograft. The Ross procedure involves going to surgery to have the aortic valve removed and replacing it with the patient's own pulmonary valve. A pulmonary homograft (a pulmonary valvePulmonary valve The pulmonary valve is the semilunar valve of the heart that lies between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery and h... taken from a cadaver) or a valvular prothesis is then used to replace the patient's own pulmonary valve. The first minimally invasive aortic valve surgery took place at the Cleveland ClinicCleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center, a national referral center, and an international health resource pro... in 1996. Additional images See also aortic stenosis aortic insufficiencyAortic insufficiency Aortic insufficiency, also known as aortic regurgitation, is the leaking of the aortic valve of the heart that causes ... Mechanical heart valvesMechanical heart valves Mechanical heart valves are prosthetics designed to replicate the function of the natural valves of the human heart.... External links