Bicuspid Aortic Valve: Abnormal Aortic Elastic Properties
Stefano Nistri MD, Maria Domenica Sorbo MD, Cristina Basso MD, Gaetano Thiene MD

This study was undertaken to assess non-invasively aortic stiffness and distensibility in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). The aim was to verify whether underlying structural abnormalities of the aorta in these patients might be manifested by abnormal elastic properties. Forty-nine consecutive young males with normally functioning or mildly incompetent BAV were studied by transthoracic echocardiography, and 45 normal subjects matched for age, body size and blood pressure, were used as controls. Aortic distensibility and stiffness were assessed at the ascending aorta (3 cm above the aortic valve) from the change in echocardiographic diameters and pulse pressure (brachial sphygmomanometry). BAV patients displayed larger aortic root size than controls, significantly increased stiffness index, and decreased distensibility. These findings confirm the notion that, in patients with BAV, aortic root dilatation is a morphological correlate of intrinsic abnormality of the wall of the ascending aorta.