Which maneuver is commonly used to accentuate the murmur of aortic stenosis?

The maneuver that is commonly used to accentuate the murmur of aortic stenosis is squatting. This position increases venous return to the heart, which enhances the blood flow across the aortic valve. As aortic stenosis involves a fixed obstruction due to the narrowed valve, increased preload from squatting raises the volume of blood ejected during ventricular contraction, intensifying the associated murmur.

In contrast, the Valsalva maneuver decreases venous return and typically results in a reduction in the intensity of murmurs associated with left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstructions, such as those found in aortic stenosis. Similarly, the handgrip maneuver increases systemic vascular resistance and can have variable effects on different murmurs depending on the underlying pathology, often leading to enhanced murmur intensity in mitral regurgitation but not in aortic stenosis. Finally, sitting up does not significantly affect the hemodynamics to the same extent as squatting and is less effective in accentuating the murmur of aortic stenosis. Therefore, squatting is the specific maneuver that enhances the murmur due to the increased blood flow across the narrowed valve.