Our Advanced Care Options for a Leaky Aortic Valve
If you have aortic regurgitation, also known as aortic valve regurgitation, you need comprehensive care from an experienced heart team. That’s what we offer at St. Luke’s Valve Clinic.
Since 2019, we've been named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery™ by Healthgrades®. No other Missouri hospital has matched this achievement in 2024. And our superior outcomes in heart valve surgery put us in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for cardiac surgery.
Our team is focused on detecting aortic regurgitation early and treating it as effectively as possible. Your doctor may order one or more of the following tests to help understand your symptoms and condition. These tests can include:
- Cardiac catheterization (a test that involves passing a thin, flexible tube called a catheter up to the heart to release special dye that makes your arteries show up better on X-ray images and video)
- Cardiac MRI (a test that uses magnetic fields to make a detailed image of the heart)
- Chest X-ray
- Computed tomography scan (CT scan, a test that uses a series of X-rays to create a detailed image of the heart)
- Echocardiogram (a test that uses sound waves to let us view the heart)
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG, a test of the heart’s electrical activity)
- Exercise tests (sometimes called stress tests, these tests let us see how well your heart works with physical activity or medications that affect the heart like physical activity does)
Depending on your test results and your unique needs, your doctor will recommend a personalized aortic regurgitation treatment plan. This plan may include:
- Medication therapy
- Aortic valve repair (a procedure to separate valve flaps that have connected abnormally, to reshape valves so they can close more tightly or to patch a leaky valve)
- Aortic valve replacement (either open-heart surgery to replace the aortic valve or a minimally invasive procedure called TAVR
You and your doctor will discuss these treatment options and decide together which one is right for you.
What is Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic regurgitation happens when blood leaks through the aortic valve each time the heart’s left ventricle relaxes. This makes the heart muscle work too hard, because blood is flowing in the wrong direction from the aorta into the left ventricle.
If you have aortic regurgitation, you may not have any symptoms or only mild symptoms. As your condition gets worse, you may experience more symptoms. Symptoms may include:
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Fainting
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath during exercise
- Swelling in the legs and ankles
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away.