Valvular heart disease: medical therapy and experimental and animal models.

Vasodilators have been advocated for the treatment of regurgitant valvular heart diseases for more than 12 years, and new information on their mechanisms of action is available. Anticoagulants continue as a mainstay of therapy for patients with prosthetic heart valves, and the most desirable levels of anticoagulation for different conditions have been examined. Clinical and animal research studies of cardiac adaptation to mitral and aortic valve diseases are discussed.