I'm curious . I was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm 2 years ago. It was only 4 months ago it was discovered that I have a bicuspid aortic valve. The aneurysm ...Read more
I'm curious . I was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm 2 years ago. It was only 4 months ago it was discovered that I have a bicuspid aortic valve. The aneurysm is at 51mm. Do cardiologists normally look for a bicuspid valve immediately following discovery of a large aneurysm? I just turned 60 and feel the sooner I have surgery,the better my recovery, healing. Has anyone else experienced a similar delay?
John Cook All my imaging said “tricuspid” for mine. They didn’t determine mine was a 1/3rd - 2/3rds bicu ... Read more
John Cook All my imaging said “tricuspid” for mine. They didn’t determine mine was a 1/3rd - 2/3rds bicuspid until I was on the table. My aneurysm had barely reached 40mm.
Marie Myers I would think they would look for a bicuspid valve upon diagnosis of an aneurysm, since those two oft ... Read more
Marie Myers I would think they would look for a bicuspid valve upon diagnosis of an aneurysm, since those two often go “hand-in hand”. Sometimes diagnosis isn’t clear, as John Cook (above) mentioned in his case. My story was the opposite, as I knew about the bicuspid valve 40 years before the aneurysms developed. But if the bicuspid valve is functioning reasonably well, sometimes surgeons will recommend a valve-sparing procedure. It is all very complicated!
Tom Sabourin Thank you so much for the input. It's very nerve racking for sure
Dr. Joanna Chikwe is a world-renowned cardiac surgeon that has performed thousands of heart valve operations that include minimally-invasive techniques.