Aortic Stenosis as an Operable Heart Disease

Abstract

Surgical treatment of calcific aortic stenosis, by far the most common form of aortic stenosis in adults, now consists almost entirely of total valve replacement by a prosthesis or a tissue transplant valve. In children, congenital noncalcific valvular stenosis is the most common form, and surgical treatment in severe cases consists of incision of fused commissures, usually with conversion of the valve to a functionally bicuspid valve. Clinical features allow differentiation of the major forms of aortic stenosis in adults and children.