Bicuspid Aortic Valve Leaflet Morphology in Patients With and Without Coarctation of the Aorta

Introduction : Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart defect. BAV is often seen with other left-sided structural abnormalities, such as coarctation of the aorta. Furthermore, diagnosing coarctation of the aorta can sometimes be challengingwith transthoracic echocardiography. This study aimed to assess if the presence of coarctation of the aorta is associated with a specific BAV morphology. Methods and materials : All patients referred to Ghaem Mashhad Hospital for echocardiography were included in the study if they had a BAV. The morphology of the aortic valve was classified based on the fusion of the cusps (anteroposterior opening and mediolateral opening), and the existence of coarctation of aorta was determined based on the findings in echocardiography or the CT angiography. Then, the data were compared in two groups. Results : Out of 134 patients (104 men and 30 women), 81 had anteroposterior morphology, and 53 had mediolateral morphology. Among the patients with anteroposterior morphology, 43 patients (69.4%) had coarctation of aorta, and 38 patients (52.8%) had no coarctation of aorta. Among patients with mediolateral morphology, 19 (30.6%) were diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta, while 34 (47.2%) showed no evidence of coarctation of the aorta (p = 0.049). Conclusion The present study showed that the morphology of the aortic valve contribute to predicting the presence of coarctation of the aorta.