Diagnosis

To diagnose aortic valve regurgitation, your doctor will do a physical exam and ask questions about your signs and symptoms and you and your family's medical history. Your doctor may hear an abnormal sound (murmur) when listening to your heart with a stethoscope. A doctor trained in heart disease (cardiologist) may evaluate you.

Your doctor may order several tests to diagnose aortic valve regurgitation and determine its cause. Tests may include:

• Echocardiogram. Sound waves directed at your heart from a wandlike device (transducer) held on your chest create pictures of your heart in motion. This test can help doctors closely look at the condition of the aortic valve and the aorta. It can help doctors determine the cause and severity of your condition and see if you have additional heart valve conditions. Doctors may also use a 3D echocardiogram.

  A transesophageal echocardiogram may be done to get a closer look at the aortic valve. In this type of echocardiogram, a small transducer attached to the end of a tube is inserted down the tube leading from your mouth to your stomach (esophagus).

• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). In this test, wires (electrodes) attached to pads on your skin measure the electrical activity of your heart. An ECG can detect enlarged chambers of your heart, heart disease and abnormal heart rhythms.
• Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray can show if your heart or aorta is enlarged. It can also help doctors determine the condition of your lungs.
• Exercise tests or stress tests. Exercise tests help doctors see whether you have signs and symptoms of aortic valve disease during physical activity. These tests can help determine the severity of your condition. If you are unable to exercise, medications that have similar effects as exercise on your heart may be used.
• Cardiac MRI. Using a magnetic field and radio waves, this test produces detailed pictures of your heart, including the aorta and aortic valve.

• Cardiac catheterization. This test isn't often used to diagnose aortic valve regurgitation, but it may be done if other tests aren't able to diagnose the condition or determine its severity. Doctors may also do cardiac catheterization prior to valve replacement surgery to see if there are blockages in the coronary arteries, so they can be fixed at the time of the valve surgery.

  In cardiac catheterization, a doctor threads a thin tube (catheter) through a blood vessel, usually in your groin, to an artery in your heart. Dye flows through the catheter to make your blood vessels show up more clearly on X-ray. This provides your doctor with a detailed picture of your heart arteries and how your heart functions. It can also measure the pressure inside the heart chambers.