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This month the Bicuspid Aortic Foundation is hosting a series of web seminar sessions on various topics related to bicuspid aortic valves and thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. Knowledge in this area continues to grow. Those interested in the genetic aspect may benefit from the...

When someone is found to have a two-leaflet (bicuspid) aortic valve, it is a clear signal for other family members to be checked for this condition. But physicians are learning that just looking for that landmark (an aortic valve with two leaflets) in families is not enough to keep individuals...

Perhaps some one will enjoy these words about strength and courage. http://www.inspiringthots.net/movie/s-and-c.php We all need both of these things, regardless if it is our own heart/aorta, or that of our loved one. Yes, it does take strength to stand alone and courage to lean on someone...

The National Institute of Health is creating a registry for those with thoracic aortic disease. Included are those with bicuspid aortic valves. Here is the home page of the website. https://gentac.rti.org/Default.aspx?tabid=36 Here is the eligibility page...

It might be helpful to read some of the medical papers that physicians have as resources regarding the choices for prosthetic valves. http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/117/2/253 These papers are from 2003: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/41/6/893...

The title of the paper is "Aortic Diameter >= 5.5 Is Not a Good Predictor of Type A Aortic Dissection" http://www.circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/116/10/1120 What this paper is saying is that we need technology that can detect those vulnerable to aortic dissection before it happens. It...

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_64942.html This was reported in the press last week. This is something that some aortic disease experts have been recommending for a long time. Just be aware that the values for blood pressure suggested in this article do not take into...

I wanted to comment about repairing BAVs that have stenosis. My husband had stenosis - the stiffened, horribly calcified BAV that adults often develop. I was told by the anesthesiologist that he had never seen a valve with as much calcification - he said it was like cauliflower all over! The...

The Bicuspid Aortic Foundation is hosting its Third Annual Conference on July 18 - 19, 2008. It will be held in Marina del Rey, California, in the Los Angeles area. In addition, a tour of Edwards Lifesciences has been arranged for Thursday, July 17th. More information can be found at...

For those whose aorta is affected along with their aortic valve, this surgery video shows one of the most complex procedures, if not the most complex. There is a specific point made about the old theory called post-stenotic dilatation, which is extremely important for those with BAV to...

Ross, please evaluate this and handle as you deem appropriate. I'm sure this family would appreciate any visibility that could be given to their plight. They have created a web site to get the word out. Here it is. http://www.fixaheart.org/ Arlyss

http://www.wltx.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=53038 I was so terribly saddened by what has happened to this family. I do not know what kind of disorder is affecting the blood vessels in this family. I do know that those with BAV are at greater risk of brain aneurysm as well as thoracic...

This month (August 2007) a paper has been published that brings together in one summary very important information for families where a BAV has been found. If anyone has difficulty justifying screening and ongoing monitoring of ALL family members, including insurance authorizations, this paper...

Following is a link to very detailed information about valves and antithrombtic therapy. http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/126/3_suppl/457S My husband was on coumadin with his mechanical valve for over 15 years. At one point after his stroke, he was on coumadin, plavix, and low-dose...

I was interested in the mention of those with mechanical valves who were not compliant with anticoagulation therapy in South Africa. A search of Pub Med found the following papers had been published regarding this. This one by Williams, Crause, and Van Riet is from 2004 and discussed...

Another thread has discussed getting CT and MRI scans to image the aorta. The following link is important because it compares the imaging options for studying the aortic valve, specifically measuring the aortic valve area. This is a measurement that gets a lot of attention because it indicates...

From the Chicago area, http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/403796,5_1_WA28_DEATHUPDATE_S1.article The nature of the genetic heart condition this child had is not specifically mentioned, but I am concerned about those with BAVD who are vulnerable to dissection of the aorta. There...

This video from the U of Pennsylvania dates back to 2004. It is an example of someone with bicuspid aortic valve disease having surgery for both the bicuspid aortic valve and aneurysm. The term total hypothermic circulatory arrest is not used in the video, but this is what was done when cooling...

There is a center within the FDA that deals with medical devices, including prosthetic heart valves. On their website, there are public health notices such as the following about valves and other products from Shelhigh, Inc. http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/041907-shelhigh.html...

My husband's bicuspid aortic valve was replaced 17 years ago now - actually the surgery anniversary is tomorrow morning! This year the days of the week and the dates are aligned like they were in 1990! He was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday and his was the first surgery on Wednesday...