Diagnosis of heart valve disease begins with a physical exam by your doctor. Your doctor will listen to the heart to hear the sounds it makes. The swishing sound of a murmur can indicate that the blood is flowing through a stenotic or leaky valve.
If heart valve disease is detected, the doctor will want to perform additional diagnostic tests. These may include echocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG), angiogram, chest X-ray, or MRI.
Valve disease may require surgery to repair or replace one or more valves. If heart valve repair does not work, then the patient may undergo heart valve replacement.
