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Congenital Heart Defects - Aortic Stenosis
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| 1. Normal heart in systole (during ventricular ejection) showing aortic valve opening completely. | 2. Aortic stenosis with thickened and fused valve leaflets preventing full opening during systole. |
Aortic Stenosis refers to a condition that causes obstruction to blood flow between the left ventricle and the aorta. There are a variety of causes, including muscular obstruction below the aortic valve, obstruction at the valve itself, or aortic narrowing immediately above the valve.
The most common form of aortic stenosis is obstruction at the valve itself, referred to as aortic valvar stenosis. The normal aortic valve consists of three thin and pliable valve leaflets. When the left ventricle ejects blood into the aorta, normal aortic valve leaflets spread apart easily and cause no obstruction to outflow of the blood from the heart.
