What Is A Calcified Aortic Leaflet?
Posted By Adam Pick On August 21, 2007 @ 12:44 am In Diagnosis,Heart Resources,Heart Valve Surgery,Pictures,Studies | No Comments
As you can read in my story, I had my aortic and pulmonary valves replaced (via the Ross Procedure [1]) in 2005.
At thirty five years of age, my bicuspid aortic valve [2] was worn down. My diseased valve suffered from aortic stenosis [3] and regurgitation.
After surgery, my heart surgeon, Dr. Vaughn Starnes of USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, California [4], informed me that my aortic valve was “very, very sick… and very, very calcified.”
“Calcified?” I thought to myself, “What the heck does that mean?”
Well… It turns out that heart valves can calcify. When valve leaflets calcify, the leaflets become thickened and hardened, producing a narrow valve opening.
To give you an idea of what a calcified aortic valve looks like, please see the picture below.
According to reports, Fibro-calcific degeneration occurs mostly in the aortic valve and it most commonly impacts adults over 65 years of age.
Pretty interesting picture, right? 
Keep on tickin!
Article printed from Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog: http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog
URL to article: http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2007/08/21/what-is-a-calcified-aortic-leaflet/
URLs in this post:
[1] Ross Procedure: http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/ross-procedure-surgery-aortic-valve-replacement.php
[2] bicuspid aortic valve: http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/bicuspid-aortic-valve-symptoms.php
[3] diseased valve suffered from aortic stenosis: http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/aortic-stenosis-valve-heart-narrowing.php
[4] Dr. Vaughn Starnes of USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, California: http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/vaughn-starnes-heart-surgeon-doctor.php
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