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Aortic insufficiency - Symptom

Alternative Names

Aortic valve prolapse; Aortic regurgitation

Symptoms:

Bounding pulse
Chest pain, angina type (rare)
- Under the chest bone; pain may move to other areas of the body
- Crushing, squeezing, pressure, tightness
- Pain increases with exercise, and goes away with rest
Fainting
Fatigue, excessive tiredness
Irregular, rapid, racing, pounding, or fluttering pulse
Palpitations
Shortness of breath with activity or when lying down
Weakness, particularly with activity

Note: Aortic insufficiency commonly shows no symptoms for many years. Symptoms may then occur gradually or suddenly.

Signs and tests:

The doctor may hear a heart murmur when listening to the chest with a stethoscope. Palpation (examination by hand) may reveal a very forceful beating of the heart.

Diastolic blood pressure may be low. There may be signs of fluid in the lungs.

Aortic insufficiency may be seen on:

Aortic angiography
Doppler ultrasound
Echocardiogram - ultrasound examination of the heart
Left heart catheterization
Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)

An ECG or chest x-ray may show swelling of the left lower heart chamber.

Lab tests cannot diagnose aortic insufficiency, but they may be used to rule out other disorders or causes.

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Aortic insufficiency

Reviewed last on: 5/7/2010
Issam Mikati, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine. Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Karchmer AW. Infectious endocarditis. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2007:chap 63.

Nishimura RA, Carabello BA, Faxon DP, et al. ACC/AHA 2008 Guideline update on valvular heart disease: focused update on infective endocarditis: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines endorced by the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists. Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008;52:676-685.

Bonow RO, Carabello BA, Chatterjee K, de Leon AC Jr, Faxon DP, Freed MD, et al; 2006 Writing Committee Members; American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force. 2008 Focused update incorporated into the ACC/AHA 2006 guidelines for the management of patients with valvular heart disease: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the 1998 Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease): endorsed by the Sosciety of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Circulation. 2008;118:e523-e661.

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