Diagnosis of Heart Valve Disease

Your physician may become suspicious that you have heart valve disease by listening to you describe your symptoms, as a result of asking you questions (taking your medical history), or through an examination. If there is a suspicion of heart disease, your doctor may ask you to go through special diagnostic tests in addition to taking your medical history, measuring your pulse and blood pressure, and listening to your heart with a stethoscope. These tests help determine the exact diagnosis and treatment required. Some tests are non-invasive; that is, tests that do not require incisions or the insertion of instruments or foreign material into the body. Other tests, called invasive tests, require instruments or materials to be inserted in the body and are generally only slightly uncomfortable.