Aortic Regurgitation

Aortic regurgitation means that blood flows backwards through the aortic valve - the valve between the aorta and the left ventricle - when the heart relaxes (the part of the heartbeat called diastole). It is usually due to damage to the heart valve by rheumatic fever, causing the valve cusps to be scarred so that they don’t close properly. It can occur in association with aortic stenosis. While in many cases the degree of regurgitation is mild, causing no symptoms, severe cases produce heart failure and may warrant surgical replacement.
 
 
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