The aortic valve is one of the four valves of the heart. When it opens it allows blood to flow from one of the chambers of the heart (the left ventricle) to the largest artery of the body (the aorta) delivering blood to vital organs of the body such as the brain, the kidneys and the lungs.

Its role is therefore crucial.

In most people the aortic valve has three leaflets (although some people might only have 2 leaflets), but with age, the leaflets can become calcified and therefore proper opening of the valve becomes restricted. When the valve does not open fully it is called aortic stenosis- stenosis being a Greek word for narrowing. Aortic stenosis is the most common form of valvular heart disease in the Western world with severe stenosis currently affecting 3% of the population over the age of 75. This is expected to double in the next 20 years as more people live longer.

Once the process of calcification starts then it is not possible to use any medical therapy to reverse or reduce it, and there is usually a slow increase in the narrowing with time. When the narrowing has increased significantly patients might develop symptoms of chest pain (angina), breathlessness or black-outs (syncope). Usually, when these symptoms develop it suggests that the blood through the aortic valve and the aorta to the rest of the body is significantly reduced and intervention might need to be considered.

Intervention considered can be with open heart surgery, something called aortic valve replacement, or percutaneously something called TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve implantation).

Our research group focuses exactly on patients with aortic stenosis and using advanced imaging modalities based on Cardiac MRI (Cardiovascular magnetic resonance or CMR) we aim to identify the most appropriate and safe time for intervention.

Our research is based at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals London, Papworth Hospital Cambridge, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom alongside strong collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

You are welcome to visit our webpage and associated links.

If you feel that you would wish to participate or help with this research (particularly if you are a patient with aortic stenosis) we would be delighted to hear about this.

This website is designed to promote research in valvular heart disease and specifically aortic stenosis in the United Kingdom, as well as dissemination of results of our studies. It is not intended for individual patient advice- medical consultation with a specialist in valvular disease is recommended for such patients.