1-9 Calcific Aortic Stenosis
Note that there are three distinct cusps in this valve, and that the free edges of the cusps appear normal. Heaped up calcific deposits extend from the cusps into the sinuses of Valsalva. This calcification prevents normal opening of the valve. Calcification of the aortic valve may be a result of rheumatic heart disease. The gross appearance illustrated here, however, is characteristic of degenerative ("wear and tear") calcific aortic stenosis in an elderly individual. Bicuspid aortic valves (a congenital abnormality) also tend to calcify, but usually at an earlier age than normal three-cusped valves.