Aortic valve calcification

Last revised by Rohit Sharma on 27 Jul 2021

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Weerakkody Y, Sharma R, Luong D, Aortic valve calcification. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 25 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-66852

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-66852

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/66852

rID:

66852

Article created:

8 Mar 2019, Yuranga Weerakkody ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Yuranga Weerakkody had no recorded disclosures.

View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosures

Last revised:

27 Jul 2021, Rohit Sharma ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Rohit Sharma had no recorded disclosures.

View Rohit Sharma's current disclosures

Revisions:

3 times, by 3 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Chest, Cardiac

Synonyms:

Aortic valve calcification (AVC)
Calcification of the aortic valve

Aortic valve calcification can be an important incidental observation in thoracic radiography or CT imaging. It is considered a marker for clinically significant aortic stenosis.

Epidemiology

According to some reports, aortic valve calcification may be prevalent as an incidental finding in up to 18% of multidetector CT scans dependent on study population ⁴.

Radiographic features

Some authors suggest aortic valve calcification should always be commented upon in the radiology reports ⁶.

Plain radiograph

On chest radiography, and the presence of such calcifications are usually best seen on the lateral radiograph¹.

CT

ECG gated CT scans are best at assessment and quantification

References

1. Franklin Liu, Courtney A. Coursey, Cairistine Grahame-Clarke, Robert R. Sciacca, Anna Rozenshtein, Shunichi Homma, John H. M. Austin. Aortic Valve Calcification as an Incidental Finding at CT of the Elderly: Severity and Location as Predictors of Aortic Stenosis. (2012) American Journal of Roentgenology. 186 (2): 342-9. doi:10.2214/AJR.04.1366 - Pubmed
2. Ralf Koos, Andreas Horst Mahnken, Anil Martin Sinha, Joachim Ernst Wildberger, Rainer Hoffmann, Harald Peter Kühl. Aortic Valve Calcification as a Marker for Aortic Stenosis Severity: Assessment on 16-MDCT. (2012) American Journal of Roentgenology. 183 (6): 1813-8. doi:10.2214/ajr.183.6.01831813 - Pubmed
3. Christopher J. Bennett, Joseph J. Maleszewski, Philip A. Araoz. CT and MR Imaging of the Aortic Valve: Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation. (2012) RadioGraphics. 32 (5): 1399-420. doi:10.1148/rg.325115727 - Pubmed
4. Ralf Koos, Harald Peter Kühl, Georg Mühlenbruch, Joachim Ernst Wildberger, Rolf W. Günther, Andreas Horst Mahnken. Prevalence and Clinical Importance of Aortic Valve Calcification Detected Incidentally on CT Scans: Comparison with Echocardiography1. (2006) Radiology. 241 (1): 76-82. doi:10.1148/radiol.2411051163 - Pubmed
5. Boon A, Cheriex E, Lodder J, Kessels F. Cardiac valve calcification: characteristics of patients with calcification of the mitral annulus or aortic valve. (1997) Heart (British Cardiac Society). 78 (5): 472-4. Pubmed
6. Raju P, Sallomi D, George B, Patel H, Patel N, Lloyd G. Aortic valve calcification - a commonly observed but frequently ignored finding during CT scanning of the chest. (2012) International journal of clinical practice. 66 (6): 552-5. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2012.02916.x - Pubmed
7. Warren BA, Yong JL. Calcification of the aortic valve: its progression and grading. (1997) Pathology. 29 (4): 360-8. Pubmed
8. Clavel MA, Pibarot P, Messika-Zeitoun D, Capoulade R, Malouf J, Aggarval S, Araoz PA, Michelena HI, Cueff C, Larose E, Miller JD, Vahanian A, Enriquez-Sarano M. Impact of aortic valve calcification, as measured by MDCT, on survival in patients with aortic stenosis: results of an international registry study. (2014) Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 64 (12): 1202-13. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.05.066 - Pubmed