An approach to the diagnosis and management of valvular heart disease

Valvular heart disease poses a common yet difficult problem in everyday clinical practice. A thorough clinical evaluation with basic commoninvestigations such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a chest radiograph (CXR) remains the cornerstone of diagnosis. Echocardiographyand more invasive testing, if needed, are usually performed at specialist level to confirm the diagnosis, assess severity and assist in definitivedecision-making.The causes and clinical, ECG and CXR features of the common valve lesions are described. Patients with symptomatic valve lesions shouldbe referred for specialist assessment. In most cases, medical therapy serves as a bridge to definitive mechanical or surgical therapy