Aortic Regurgitation

Initial Treatment and Results

Our patient’s diagnosis is severe aortic regurgitation due to a congenital bicuspid aortic valve. When he was seen initially, he had symptoms of left ventricular failure and was immediately treated with salt restriction, diuretics and short-term vasodilator therapy.

Pending valve surgery, short-term vasodilator therapy is indicated in this patient to treat symptoms of heart failure. He lost five pounds of weight, his symptoms of dyspnea on exertion improved, and he had no more episodes of noctural dyspnea. Note that his cardiac catheterization was carried out after his initial treatment and after he had improved symptomatically.