Valvular heart disease echocardiography or ultrasound

Valvular heart disease Microchapters
Patient Information
Classification Aortic stenosis Aortic regurgitation Mitral stenosis Mitral valve prolapse Mitral regurgitation Tricuspid stenosis Tricuspid regurgitation Pulmonary stenosis Pulmonary regurgitation
Differential Diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

2006 ACC/AHA Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Valvular Heart Disease - Evaluation of Cardiac Murmurs (DO NOT EDIT)

Recommendations for Echocardiography

Class I

"1. Echocardiography is recommended for asymptomatic patients with diastolic murmurs, continuous murmurs, holosystolic murmurs, late systolic murmurs, murmurs associated with ejection clicks or murmurs that radiate to the neck or back. (Level of Evidence: C) "

"2. Echocardiography is recommended for patients with heart murmurs and symptoms or signs of heart failure, myocardial ischemia/infarction, syncope, thromboembolism, infective endocarditis, or other clinical evidence of structural heart disease. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"3. Echocardiography is recommended for asymptomatic patients who have grade 3 or louder midpeaking systolic murmurs. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class III (Harm)

"1. Echocardiography is not recommended for patients who have a grade 2 or softer midsystolic murmur identified as innocent or functional by an experienced observer. (Level of Evidence: C) "

Class IIa

"1. Echocardiography can be useful for the evaluation of asymptomatic patients with murmurs associated with other abnormal cardiac physical findings or murmurs associated with an abnormal ECG or chest X-ray. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"2. Echocardiography can be useful for patients whose symptoms and/or signs are likely noncardiac in origin but in whom a cardiac basis cannot be excluded by standard evaluation. (Level of Evidence: C)"