Heart valve stenosis in laser spotlights: insights into a complex disease.

Degenerative heart valve disease is a life-threatening disease affecting about 3% of the population over 65 years. Up to date, cardiac surgery with heart valve replacement is the only available therapy. The disease is characterized by degenerative disorganization of the heart valve structure and alterations in the residing cell populations. Causes and mechanisms of disease genesis are still not fully understood and until now pharmacological therapies are not available. Thus there is enormous interest in new technologies that enable a better characterization of structure and composition of diseased valves. Currently most research techniques demand for extensive processing of extracted valve material. We present a novel approach combining coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, endogenous two-photon excited fluorescence and second harmonic generation. Cusp constituents can be examined simultaneously, three-dimensionally and without extensive manipulation of the sample enabling impressive insights into a complex disease.