Cas du 11/04/2015: Aortic Valve Calcification

Presentation: A patient presents for a CABG with this echo loop.








#1: What is the diagnosis?

#2: What is the etiology of the aortic valvular disease?

Explanation: The diagnosis is aortic valve stenosis or aortic valve sclerosis. A gradient must be present for aortic valve stenosis to be diagnosed and from this echo loop, it appears that the aortic valve area would be around 1.2 cm2. Sclerosis is present when one or more leaflets are hypomobile but a gradient is not present.

The etiology is calcific aortic sclerosis/stenosis. Calcific involvement starts at the base of the leaflets and moves into the body of the leaflets. Rheumatic disease is a leaflet edge inflammatory disease where fibrosis and calcium deposition occurs and then spreads to the body of the leaflet.