**5. Conclusions**

The list of topics that can be reviewed is endless, clearly beyond the scope of a single text, and only serves to illustrates the importance of having a solid foundation in the existing literature, guidelines, and technologies as we move forward with regards to how we objectively assess and manage patient with aortic valve pathology. While patient preferences clearly should have a role, it is imperative that patients and their families be provided with accurate and objective data that take their personal characteristics into consideration so that their decisions can be properly guided with the goal of optimizing their opportunities for an ideal short- and long-term outcome. Hopefully, texts such as this along with multidisciplinary Heart Teams can help improve these short- and long-term outcomes in terms of quality and quantity of life for those patients with significant valvular pathology.
