The valve is narrowed.
Severity, symptoms, heart response, anatomy, and progression shape whether monitoring, TAVR, or surgery belongs in the discussion—and how urgent that discussion may be.
Virtual aortic valve second opinion
Before TAVR or surgery, understand what fits your heart.
For U.S. patients and families advised to have aortic valve surgery: a specialist physician or team reviews your imaging, proposed plan, and relevant options online.
No referral or call is required to purchase. Start online from home.
- Expertphysician review
- 1physician-reviewed written report
- 24 hrafter the complete record is confirmed
FIRST, NAME THE VALVE PROBLEM
A narrowed valve and a leaking valve are different decisions.
The diagnosis starts the conversation. Severity, symptoms, anatomy, heart response, and the rest of the heart determine which questions belong.
The valve is leaking.
Cause, ventricular response, aortic anatomy, and repairability create a different fork. Surgical replacement or selected reconstruction may be relevant; catheter treatment applies to a narrower group. The actual anatomy, cause of the leak, symptoms, and surgical risk require review by the treating multidisciplinary valve team.
Severity + timing
Symptoms, valve area, velocity, gradients, ventricular response, and serial change help explain why intervention is—or is not—being discussed now.
Anatomy + access
Valve morphology, annular dimensions, calcium pattern, coronary height, aortic dimensions, and vascular access can change what is technically reasonable.
Lifetime strategy
Age is context—not a verdict. A single cutoff cannot decide the right path for an individual; expected longevity, durability, reintervention, pacemaker risk, paravalvular leak, and future coronary access belong in the same conversation.
The rest of the heart
Coronary disease, an enlarged aorta, another valve, or a rhythm procedure may favor a combined operation or a different sequence.
Clinical boundary: severe aortic stenosis can become life-threatening, especially when symptoms or heart-function changes are present. Continue following your treating team’s instructions while seeking clarification.
OPTIONS, IN CONTEXT
Two established replacement paths. No universal winner.
The review identifies only the paths that fit the documented diagnosis and anatomy. It does not choose treatment, promise candidacy, or replace the treating valve team.
TAVR
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement replaces the valve through a catheter; it does not repair the native valve. It may offer a shorter initial recovery for appropriately selected patients, while anatomy, access, pacemaker risk, paravalvular leak, durability, and future coronary access still matter.
SAVR
Surgical aortic valve replacement permits a mechanical or tissue prosthesis and can also address bypass disease, the aorta, another valve, or selected rhythm procedures during the same operation.
Selected other paths
For selected regurgitation or aortic-root anatomy, repair or valve-sparing reconstruction may be discussed. The report may also identify questions about continued surveillance, missing workup, or whether the timing should be reassessed with the treating team.
The lifetime question: what fits this heart now, and what could today’s valve choice mean for the next procedure?
WHITEGLOVE Insights™
Your anatomy. Your options. Your next questions.
The report connects the proposed treatment to the complete record, makes uncertainty visible, and prepares your next conversation with the clinicians responsible for your care.
The diagnosis, made coherent
Severity, symptoms, serial testing, heart response, treating team’s plan, and the findings driving the discussion—clearly tied to the source record.
Relevant paths, compared
Benefits, burdens, technical considerations, and unanswered questions for TAVR, SAVR, reconstruction, monitoring, or another path only when it fits this case.
Anatomy, lifetime, and risk
Durability, reintervention, coronary access, prosthesis choice, and the current STS ACSD operative-risk estimate when applicable—with verified inputs, calculation date, missing data, and model limits visible. Other models appear only when documented in the source record.
The next conversation, prepared
Questions about timing, procedure-specific experience, complex-aortic capability, geography, practical considerations, and reliable public outcomes when requested and available.
THREE PACKAGES. LIVE CONSULTATION INCLUDED.
Choose the support that fits your decision.
Every package includes an independent written second opinion and a live physician consultation. Clarity provides one specialist; Collaborative adds a multidisciplinary approach when indicated; Concierge includes a multidisciplinary team and concierge access to every physician on that team through surgery day.
Compare every package detail01One physician. A clear next step.
WHITEGLOVE
Clarity
$995ONE-TIME
An independent second opinion from one specialist, with a live consultation to help you understand your options.
- physician-reviewed written review included
- Live physician consultation included
- Dedicated time for patient and family questions
02The right expertise, brought together.
WHITEGLOVE
Collaborative
$1,495ONE-TIME
A coordinated second opinion with a multidisciplinary team approach when your case calls for it.
- physician-reviewed written review included
- Live physician consultation included
- Dedicated time for patient and family questions
03Your team, with you along the way.
WHITEGLOVE
Concierge
$1,995ONE-TIME
A multidisciplinary second opinion with concierge access to every physician on your reviewing team.
- physician-reviewed written review included
- Live physician consultation included
- Support continues through surgery day
Direct-pay · secure one-time payment · no subscription · WHITEGLOVEMD does not submit insurance claimsHelp me choose
WHAT SHAPES THE REVIEW
A valve decision is only as complete as the record behind it.
A missing study does not automatically mean care was inadequate. It means the limits of the review should be visible and turned into useful questions.
Echocardiography
Valve severity, ventricular response, other valves, and serial change—not only one number from one study.
CT planning
Annulus, calcium pattern, coronary height, aortic dimensions, and vascular access when a catheter procedure is being considered.
Coronary assessment
Whether coronary disease is present and whether bypass or another strategy changes the choice or sequence.
Aorta + other valves
Whether an enlarged aorta, mitral disease, or another structural problem belongs in the same decision.
Risk-model inputs
The clinical and laboratory variables needed for a defensible estimate, with missing data and model limitations shown.
Function + your priorities
Mobility, frailty, pulmonary and kidney status, recovery, anticoagulation, future procedures, travel, caregiving, and tolerance for uncertainty.
INDEPENDENT PHYSICIAN REVIEW
Independent expertise for your surgical decision.
Clarity provides one specialist; Collaborative adds multidisciplinary review when indicated; Concierge includes a multidisciplinary team. The profiles below introduce our physicians; your assigned reviewer or team depends on your case and package. Your treating clinicians remain responsible for your care.
CARDIAC SURGEON
Rahul R. Handa, MD
Cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon
Reviews SAVR, prosthesis strategy, operative access, the aorta, combined procedures, and risk.
CARDIOLOGIST
Sandeep M. Patel, MD
Interventional cardiologist
Reviews severity, progression, TAVR anatomy, coronary context, imaging, and surveillance.A clear written report.
One specialist or a multidisciplinary team, according to your package.
Meet the physiciansHOW IT WORKS
From scattered valve records to one clear next conversation.
No referral or travel is required. You can purchase first, then upload records securely.
- 01
Choose your package
Purchase directly or request a complimentary call if you want help comparing service levels.
- 02
Build the complete record
Upload what you have. With your authorization, our records team can help identify and request what is missing.
- 03
Independent physician review
Clarity provides one specialist to examine the complete record. Collaborative adds multidisciplinary review when indicated; Concierge includes a multidisciplinary team.
- 04
Receive one physician-reviewed report
The report is delivered within 24 hours only after all required records and imaging are received and confirmed complete. Time spent gathering missing records is outside the 24-hour window.
EVIDENCE, WITH LIMITS VISIBLE
Guidelines and risk models inform the review. Physicians interpret them.
Risk estimates describe modeled outcomes for patients with similar inputs. They do not predict an individual result and do not replace clinical judgment.
2025 · ESC/EACTSGuidelines for management of valvular heart disease2020 · ACC/AHAGuideline for management of valvular heart diseaseSociety of Thoracic SurgeonsAdult Cardiac Surgery Database operative risk calculatorOfficial EuroSCORE siteEuroSCORE II model and stated limitationsAmerican Association for Thoracic SurgeryAATS patient-specific cardiac surgery risk calculator
AORTIC VALVE SECOND-OPINION FAQ
The practical questions, answered.
A member of our team will call within 2 business hours. During business hours, a same-day conversation with a cardiac surgeon or cardiologist may be arranged only when clinically appropriate and a physician is available.
More than one heart procedure recommended? Explore our heart-surgery second-opinion review.
Not emergency care. Do not delay urgent or time-sensitive treatment while waiting for WHITEGLOVEMD. If you may be experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
When should I seek an aortic valve second opinion?+
A second opinion can be useful when aortic valve intervention is being proposed and you want to understand the timing, whether TAVR or surgical replacement fits the documented anatomy, what another heart or aortic condition adds to the decision, or how today’s choice may affect future procedures. It should not delay urgent or time-sensitive care directed by your treating team.
Is TAVR better than open aortic valve surgery?+
Neither option is better for every patient. TAVR may offer a shorter initial recovery for appropriately selected patients. Surgical replacement may be more suitable for certain anatomy, lifetime-management goals, or cases that also need bypass, aortic repair, another valve procedure, or rhythm surgery. The review explains how those considerations apply to the available record without choosing treatment for you.
How do age and life expectancy affect TAVR versus SAVR?+
Age is context—not a verdict. A single cutoff cannot decide the right path for an individual. Expected longevity, anatomy, frailty, valve durability, potential reintervention, future coronary access, other cardiac disease, and personal priorities all belong in the broader lifetime-management discussion with the treating team.
Does a bicuspid aortic valve change the decision?+
It can. Bicuspid morphology, the pattern of calcification, annular and aortic dimensions, coronary anatomy, and associated enlargement of the aorta may affect the technical feasibility and tradeoffs of catheter-based and surgical approaches. The decision requires the actual imaging and clinical context.
Will the review compare mechanical and tissue valves?+
When surgical valve replacement is relevant, the report can organize the tradeoffs between mechanical and tissue prostheses. A mechanical valve requires lifelong vitamin K antagonist anticoagulation, usually warfarin. A tissue valve usually does not require lifelong anticoagulation solely because of the valve, but it can deteriorate over time; another condition may still require anticoagulation. The final choice belongs with you and your treating physicians.
What records are needed for an aortic valve second opinion?+
The exact record depends on the decision. It commonly includes echocardiogram images and reports, CT imaging when TAVR is being evaluated, catheterization or coronary assessment, clinical notes, laboratory results, medication history, and the proposed treatment plan. With your authorization, the records team can help identify, request, and organize what is needed.
Who reviews my aortic valve case?+
WhiteGlove Clarity provides one specialist. Collaborative adds multidisciplinary review when indicated; Concierge includes a multidisciplinary team. Every package includes a written second opinion and a live physician consultation. Your reviewer or team is matched to your case and package.
How quickly is the written report delivered?+
The report is delivered within 24 hours only after all required records and imaging are received and confirmed complete. Time spent gathering missing records is outside the 24-hour window.
How much does an aortic valve second opinion cost?+
WhiteGlove Clarity is $995, Collaborative is $1,495, and Concierge is $1,995. Every package includes a written second opinion and live physician consultation. Clarity provides one specialist; Collaborative adds a multidisciplinary approach when indicated; Concierge includes a multidisciplinary team and concierge access to all physicians on that team through surgery day. These are one-time, direct-pay packages. You can purchase online or request a complimentary call.
Does WHITEGLOVEMD replace my valve team?+
No. WHITEGLOVEMD provides independent educational decision support and medical-record review. It does not diagnose, prescribe, perform procedures, provide emergency care, or replace the physicians responsible for your treatment.
THE DECISION STAYS YOURS
Before choosing a valve path, bring both sides of the decision to the table.
Start with a free discovery call, or choose a second-opinion package and begin online.