Multidetector row computed tomography assessment of the native aortic and mitral valve: a call for routine assessment of left-sided heart valves during coronary computed tomography.

Aortic valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation are the most common valvular heart diseases (VHD) in Western countries. In daily clinical practice, the diagnosis and evaluation of the severity of VHD is based on clinical findings and imaging. Transthoracic echocardiography is the preferred imaging technique for the initial evaluation of VHD. In patients with inconclusive transthoracic echocardiography, transoesophageal echocardiography can have additional diagnostic value. Cardiac multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) has proven to have diagnostic value in the evaluation of coronary artery disease in symptomatic patients with a low-to-intermediate pretest probability. The images acquired for coronary assessment also contain diagnostic information on heart valves. The purpose of this review was to discuss the diagnostic value of MDCT for the evaluation of left-sided VHD. We provide an overview of the literature comparing echocardiography and MDCT for VHD assessment focusing on aortic valve and mitral valve disease, and we present clinical recommendations.