Commentary: Closing the gap on bicuspid aortic valve repair

[Valve repair for bicuspid aortic valve regurgitation: an option?].

Bicuspid aortic valve is the most common form of congenital heart disease. It is associated with both valvular pathology and aortic disease. Aortic regurgitation caused by a bicuspid aortic valve can be corrected by surgical valve repair, which has good short-term results. However, the significant rate of aortic regurgitation recurrence found on long-term follow-up remains a problem, partly bec...

Are bicuspid aortic valves a limitation for aortic valve repair?

OBJECTIVE To compare the mid-term results after aortic valve (AV) repair in bicuspid AVs with those in tricuspid AVs. METHODS Between 2000 and 2010, 100 patients (mean age 47.2 years) underwent AV repair procedures for insufficient bicuspid AV (n=43) and tricuspid AV (n=57). Aortic regurgitation (AR) more than moderate was present in 31/43 and 21/57 patients in the bicuspid AV and the tricusp...

Successful bicuspid aortic valve repair using external aortic annuloplasty.

A 33-year-old man presented with severe aortic insufficiency due to a prolapsed bicuspid aortic valve. The ventriculoaortic junction was dilated to 29 mm without root dilatation, and external ring annuloplasty was performed using a Gelweave (Terumo, Tokyo, Japan) graft to reduce the size to 22 mm. The leaflets were repaired by dividing and suturing a raphe between the right and left cusps. This...

The Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) represents the most common cardiac congenital malformation in the adult age, with strong male predominance. It may occur in isolation, or in association with other congenital heart diseases. The BAV is seen in 1% to 2% of the population and may be complicated by aortic stenosis or aortic insufficiency and infective endocarditis. It may be associated with abnormalitie...

Commentary: Managing Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm in Patients with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Based on Aortic Root-Involvement