IMR Press / RCM / Volume 24 / Issue 6 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2406178
Open Access Review
Implications of Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease and Aortic Stenosis/Insufficiency as Risk Factors for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
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1 Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Valley Hospital, NJ 07450, USA
2 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
3 Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
4 Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
5 Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7, Canada
*Correspondence: grauju@valleyhealth.com; jgrau@ottawaheart.ca (Juan B. Grau)
These authors contributed equally.
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2023, 24(6), 178; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2406178
Submitted: 7 February 2023 | Revised: 27 March 2023 | Accepted: 3 April 2023 | Published: 19 June 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Bicuspid Aortic Valves (BAV) are associated with an increased incidence of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA). TAA are a common aortic pathology characterized by enlargement of the aortic root and/or ascending aorta, and may become life threatening when left untreated. Typically occurring as the sole pathology in a patient, TAA are largely asymptomatic. However, in some instances, they are accompanied by aortic valve (AV) diseases: either congenital BAV or acquired in the form of Aortic Insufficiency (AI) or aortic stenosis (AS). When TAA are associated with aortic valve disease, determining an accurate and predictable prognosis becomes especially challenging. Patients with AV disease and concomitant TAA lack a widely accepted diagnostic approach, one that integrates our knowledge on aortic valve pathophysiology and encompasses multi-modality imaging approaches. This review summarizes the most recent scientific knowledge regarding the association between AV diseases (BAV, AI, AS) and ascending aortopathies (dilatation, aneurysm, and dissection). We aimed to pinpoint the gaps in monitoring practices and prediction of disease progression in TAA patients with concomitant AV disease. We propose that a morphological and functional analysis of the AV with multi-modality imaging should be included in aortic surveillance programs. This strategy would allow for improved risk stratification of these patients, and possibly new AV phenotypic-specific guidelines with more vigilant surveillance and earlier prophylactic surgery to improve patient outcomes.

Keywords
bicuspid aortic valve
aortopathy
thoracic aortic aneurysm
aortic stenosis/regurgitation
Funding
Cannstatter Foundation
R01-HL131872/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health
Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Cardiovascular Research Laboratory
Figures
Fig. 1.
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