Hi, this is Tom and in this episode we're going to be going through pediatric aortic stenosis.

And you can find notes at 0.0.5 and in the 0 to Finals Pediatrics book and questions and flashcards

to train your knowledge at members.0.0.5.com.

And if you stick around till the end of the episode, we'll go through some questions on the same topic

so you can test yourself on what you just heard. So let's get straight into it.

Aortic valve stenosis involves a narrow opening in the aortic valve, restricting blood flow

from the ventricle to the aorta.

The aortic valve allows blood to flow from the left ventricle into the aorta and it prevents

blood from flowing back into the left ventricle.

The aortic valve is normally made up of three separate leaflets,

and these leaflets open into three pockets called the aortic sinuses of Valsalva.

Patients can have an abnormal number of leaflets in their aortic valve.

Most commonly two leaflets, and this is referred to as a bicuspid aortic valve.

Less commonly, they may have only one leaflet, which is called unicuspid, or as many as four leaflets, which is called quadricuspid.

A bicuspid aortic valve often results in aortic valve stenosis.

Let's go through the presentation.

The symptoms depend on the severity of the narrowing.

Mild aortic stenosis may be asymptomatic.

Severe aortic stenosis presents with heart failure within months of birth.

Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting. Symptoms are typically worse on exertion, as the outflow from the left ventricle through the narrow valve cannot

keep up with the increased demand.

Let's talk about the signs on examination.

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