ABSTRACT
Valvular heart disease is an important field in cardiovascular medicine. Traditionally, patients are presented to the clinician because of their symptoms. With the widespread use of echocardiography, valvular heart disease is often detected long before symptoms appear and the important issue of timing of surgery has become a controversial one. While the presence of symptoms or left ventricular dysfunction is still the main factor to be considered for surgical indication, additional parameters may also be relevant.
