Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Growth in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Patients: Role of Aortic Stiffness and Pulsatile Hemodynamics

摘要

BackgroundBicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital cardiac abnormality. A thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is present in ≈50% of BAV patients, who also have an 8‐fold higher risk of aortic dissection than the general population. Because the health of the aorta is directly reflected in its stiffness and pulsatile hemodynamics, we hypothesized that measures of aortic stiffness and arterial load would be associated with TAA growth in BAV.