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Aortic stenosis is a heart valve disorder that narrows or obstructs the aortic valve opening. Narrowing of the aortic valve prevents the valve from opening properly and obstructs the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta. This can reduce the amount of blood that flows forward to the body.

The aorta is the large artery that originates in the left ventricle (lower chamber) of the heart. Aortic stenosis is the narrowing or obstruction of the heart's aortic valve, which prevents it from opening properly and blocks the flow of blood from the aorta to the left ventricle.

Aortic stenosis is caused by many disorders. One common cause is rheumatic fever, a complication of untreated strep throat. Other causes include calcification of the valve and congenital abnormalities (disorders present at birth). There may be a history of other valve diseases, coronary artery disease, or heart murmur.

Aortic stenosis occurs in approximately 5 out of every 10,000 people. It is more common among men. Symptoms often do not appear until middle age or older.

Surgical repair: The hole is closed with stitches or a patch. Most of the time, the patch is either made out of a material called Dacron® or is a small piece of pericardium (the sac that the heart sits in). A median sternotomy (chest) incision is used for the ASD repair. In some cases a submammary (beneath the breasts) incision or a thoracotomy (side) incision is offered.

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