Medical Encyclopedia:
Aortic Valve Stenosis: Diagnosis
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Using a stethoscope, a physician may hear a murmur and other abnormal heart sounds. An ECG, also called an electrocardiogram, records the electrical activity of the heart. This technique and chest x ray can show evidence that the left ventricle is enlarged. An x ray can also reveal calcium deposits on the valve, as well as congestion in the lungs. Echocardiography can pick up thickening of the valve, heart size, and whether or not the valve is working properly. This is a procedure in which high frequency sound waves harmlessly bounce off organs in the body. Cardiac catheterization, in which a contrast dye is injected in an artery using a catheter, is the key tool to confirm stenosis and gauge its severity.
— Jeanine Barone, Physiologist
