Dušan Holoubek, Gabriel Valočík, Ján Ignác, Monika Jankajová, Mariana Dvorožňáková, Peter Čandík
Aortic stenosis has become the most common primary heart valve disease and an important cause of cardiovascular
morbidity and mortality. The prognosis of patients significantly worsens after the appearance of symptoms. Untreated
aortic stenosis carries a high mortality of up to 50% within 2 years of symptom appearance. Echocardiography is
currently the primary non-invasive imaging method for aortic valve stenosis assessment and quantification. Echocardiographic
grading the severity of aortic stenosis always must be interpreted in the clinical context of the individual
patient. Current guidelines emphasize that the diagnosis of aortic stenosis must be based on an integrated approach:
valve morphology, transvalvular velocity/gradient, valve area, flow rate, left ventricular morphology and function, blood
pressure and symptoms.