[How I TREAT AN ASYMPTOMATIC AORTIC STENOSIS?].

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease in adults. The most frequent aetiology is now degenerative AS. There is general agreement that, in the absence of serious co-morbidity, surgery must be recommended for patients with symptomatic disease. The management of asymptomatic patients with severe aortic disease remains controversial for several reasons: sudden death in asymptomatic patients has been reported with an incidence < 1 % per year. In addition, operative mortality is significantly higher in symptomatic, when compared with asymptomatic, patients. Patients should be carefully educated about the importance of follow-up and reporting symptoms as soon as they develop. Echocardiography confirms the diagnosis and the severity of aortic stenosis. Exercise testing may be helpful when the patient is asymptomatic. If the patient develops symptoms during test, he should be referred for surgery. The management of patients with AS in everyday practice is based on the guidelines developed by ESC in October 2012.