Background: A 70-year-old man diagnosed with hypertension, severe chronic obstructive lung disease and critical aortic stenosis symptomatic by NYHA functional class III heart failure and frequent hospitalisations for volume overload was referred for percutaneous aortic valve implantation.
Investigation: Cardiac catheterisation revealed a severe aortic stenosis with a peak to peak gradient of 95 mmHg and a mean gradient of 73 mmHg. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated an aortic valve area of 0.7 cm².
Diagnosis: Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis by echocardiography and cardiac catheterisation.
Treatment: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with an 29 mm CoreValve prosthesis.