Inter-Ethnic Differences in Valvular Dysfunction, Aortopathy, and Progression of Disease of an Asian Bicuspid Aortic Valve Population

Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings of Bicuspid Aortic Valve and Related Abnormalities of the Heart and Thoracic Aorta

The bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital cardiovascular malformation. Patients with BAV are at higher risk of other congenital cardiovascular malformations and valvular dysfunction, including aortic stenosis/regurgitation and infective endocarditis. BAV may also be related to aortic wall abnormalities such as aortic dilatation, aneurysm, and dissection. The morphology of the BAV varies with the presence and position of the raphe and is associated with the type of valvular dysfunction and aortopathy. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and effective treatment at an early stage are essential to prevent complications in patients with BAV. This pictorial essay highlights the characteristics of BAV and its related congenital cardiovascular malformations, valvular dysfunction, aortopathy, and other rare cardiac complications using multimodal imaging.

Bicuspid aortic valve: evolving knowledge and new questions

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), a common congenital anomaly with various morphological phenotypes, is also characterised by marked heterogeneity in clinical presentations including clinically silent condition with mild valvulo-aortopathy, progressive valvulopathy and complex valvulo-aortopathy with shorter life expectancy. The clinical importance of using a general and unified nosology for BAV is well-accepted by opinion leaders and an international consensus statement has been recently published, which will serve as an important scientific platform for BAV. This review describes the current knowledge of BAV based on clinical studies, addresses several unresolved issues requiring investigators' attention and highlights the necessity of prospective studies with a very long follow-up duration for better appreciation of BAV-associated valvulo-aortopathy. In addition, the progression of valvular calcification in patients with BAV and its potential contribution to development of valvulopathy will be discussed.