Aortic Valve Regurgitation

Aortic regurgitation, also called aortic regurgitation, refers to a leaky aortic valve. With this condition, the leaflets or cusps of your heart’s aortic valve don’t close as tightly as they should. As a result, some blood that should move out of your heart leaks backward each time your heart beats.

Your aortic valve is the “door” that opens and closes to control blood flow between your heart and your aorta (the largest artery in your body). With each heartbeat, your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood into your aorta. From there, your blood then travels through many branches to reach your organs and tissues.

Your aortic valve opens to allow blood to travel from the left ventricle of your heart (its main pumping chamber) into your aorta. This happens each time your left ventricle contracts (squeezes). When your left ventricle relaxes, the valve closes.

Normally, your aortic valve closes tightly enough to keep blood flowing in the correct direction. But if you have aortic valve regurgitation, your valve doesn’t close all the way. This means that each time your left ventricle relaxes, some blood leaks backward into this chamber. While this is a cause for concern, healthcare providers have treatments they can use to help you.

Aortic regurgitation is a common form of heart valve disease that ranges from mild to severe. Providers also call this condition aortic insufficiency.

Types of aortic regurgitation

Healthcare providers separate aortic regurgitation into two types:

• Acute. This type happens quickly and suddenly.
• Chronic. This type happens gradually. The chronic form is more common in the U.S.

Providers may also refer to aortic valve regurgitation as one of three (1, 2 or 3) types based on detailed descriptions of the issue. They may also talk about different stages (A, B, C or D) based on severity. Stage D is the most severe.