Aortic stenosis in the elderly: Challenges in diagnosis and therapy

Abstract

Severe aortic valve stenosis, remains the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, reaching a prevalence of 2-7% above the age of 65 years old. Despite its frequency and the development in invasive and noninvasive approach of the disease, several of its aspects remain controversial. This review is focused on the clinical aspects, the indices for assessment severity, newly markers related to prognosis and new therapeutic modalities for the elderly population. The term low flow, low gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved LV systolic function has revealed a new modality in the field of diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic approach. Aortic valve replacement is the choice therapy for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. Despite the recent advances in cardiac surgery, the overall operative mortality rate for isolated aortic valve replacement surgery ranges from 2.5% to 4.0% and is higher in octogenarians and can be up to 25% in patients with comorbid conditions. The fact that surgery is not being performed for 30% or more of patients requiring it, a great attention was attracted to the percutaneous transcatheter implantation of a stent-mounted aortic valve. The up to now experience of transcatheter valve implantation in more than 25,000 patients, has shown promising results in terms of mortality and quality of life. Echocardiography still plays the central role for the evaluation of the elderly patient, as it can illustrate the pathophysiological alterations during the course of aortic valve stenosis, and guide appropriate therapy. © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd