Asymptomatic Severe Aortic-Valve Stenosis — To Wait or Not to Wait

Aortic-valve stenosis is an increasingly common clinical condition in the aging population. Population studies indicate a prevalence of up to 2.5% even among persons younger than 75 years of age, with a prevalence of up to 8% in those 75 years of age or older, with large geographic differences between low-income and high-income countries. 1-3 Severe aortic-valve stenosis is associated with increased mortality, and valve replacement has emerged as the only effective treatment. Consequently, treatment of aortic-valve stenosis has become one of the most common surgical or interventional procedures in the past several years. The severity of aortic-valve stenosis is typically . . .