What happens to systolic pressure in aortic stenosis?

In aortic stenosis, the narrowing of the aortic valve causes an increase in the pressure load that the left ventricle must overcome to eject blood into the aorta. As a result, the left ventricle generates higher pressures during systole to push blood through the narrowed valve. This leads to a scenario where the pressure generated by the left ventricle can exceed the pressure of the aorta during ventricular systole.

As the left ventricle compensates for the increased resistance from the stenotic valve, it undergoes hypertrophy and significant changes in hemodynamics. When the left ventricular pressure exceeds aortic pressure, this pressures mismatch is a critical indicator of the severity of aortic stenosis. It is an essential part of monitoring the implications of this condition, as it can have consequences on cardiac output and overall hemodynamic stability.

The other options do not fully describe the hemodynamic changes related to aortic stenosis. Systolic pressure does not simply remain constant or decrease significantly; rather, the characteristic of exceeding aortic pressure is a definitive outcome that reflects the disease's pathophysiology.