What are the comorbidities of aortic valve insufficiency?

  Children with precordial ventricular defects (especially the inferior stem type) and aortic sinus aneurysms often have a combination of aortic valve prolapse and regurgitation (aortic valve insufficiency), mainly because the inferior stem type ventricular defect is located in the right ventricular outflow tract, adjacent to the aortic valve, leaving the right coronary valve of the aorta without subvalvular support; under the influence of a high velocity left-to-right shunt (ventricular defect or ruptured sinus aneurysm) a negative pressure (Bernoulli effect) is generated pulling the aortic valve toward the This produces aortic valve prolapse that progresses to incomplete regurgitation.  This disorder is often overlooked by parents and some physicians because of the mild degree of aortic regurgitation at the time of presentation, which delays treatment. The literature reports that once aortic regurgitation occurs, the lesion progresses and 30% or more of these patients will have their valves replaced due to severe regurgitation. Therefore, once diagnosed, these children should undergo early surgery to fill the missing subaortic support structure and block the left-to-right shunt to stop or reverse the progression of the lesion.  If a child has postoperative aortic regurgitation, he or she should have a follow-up ultrasound every 1-2 years to monitor the progression of the disease and seek early medical attention if regurgitation worsens and the left ventricle enlarges.