Background: Dilatation of the aortic root and the ascending aorta, aortic stenosis (AS) and aortic regurgitation (AR) are the common findings in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of these complications and the associations among them.
Methods: 200 patients (male/female: 133/67; mean age: 46.9±16.3 years) with congenital BAV were retrospectively enrolled. All patients underwent full echocardiography examination.
Results: In our local BAV population, the prevalence of AR, AS and AR+AS were 37%, 28% and 21% respectively. Aortic dilatation was present in 58% of BAV patients with aortic root dilatation was 35%, and ascending aortic dilatation was 23%. Dilatation of the aortic root was significantly correlated with AS (r=0.25), AR (r=0.41) and severity of AR (r=0.35) (all p<0.001). While dilatation of the ascending aorta was only correlated with AS (r=0.24, p<0.001),
Conclusion: AR was more common than AS and dilatation of aortic root was more common than ascending aorta in patients with BAV in our local population. Dilatation of aortic root was associated with the presence and severity of regurgitation (AR) and presence of aortic stenosis (AS), while ascending aortic dilatation is only related to presence of aortic stenosis. The two different aortic dilatation types may be linked with different pathogeneses.