Do You Have Any Bicuspid Aortic Valve Pictures?
August 29th, 2007So, I just received an email asking, “Do you have any pictures of a bicuspid aortic valve?”
Well, considering I had a bicuspid aortic valve for the first 33 years of my life, I definitely researched and located pictures of bicuspid aortic valves for my book.
As you can see below, the aortic valve on the left is normal – the valve has three leaflets and three cusps.
The valve on the right, however, is a bicuspid aortic valve. As you look at the diagram, you will note that the bicuspid heart valve only has two leaflets and two cusps.
This can become very problematic if the valve calcifies and becomes diseased with the condition known as aortic stenosis.
Here is a picture of a calcified aortic valve with stenosis:
Well. I hope that wasn’t too graphic for you. Those are some pictures of normal aortic valve, bicuspid aortic valves and calcified aortic valves.
Keep on tickin!
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| About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here. |
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