Arlyss
Well-known member
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 surgeon was extremely worried that some granules of that calcified mess had escaped and might have caused a stroke. That did not happen, but calcification can be very nasty stuff. I later learned that my husband's valve opening was only .5 at the time of his surgery, which is considered critical. Interestingly, he did not have gradual symptoms, but when he did get sick, he was extremely sick. A valve like his does not lend itself to repair.
Scrolling down on the BAF home page, there are some short video clips, and in the one about BAVD, there are some images of calcified BAVs, giving an idea of what they are like. Here is a link www.bicuspidfoundation.com
Sometimes we hear about children/teenagers having a repair of a BAV with stenosis. This is different. These BAVs are still flexible, but the tissue itself is so fused together that the valve cannot open very wide. They apparently are born this way and generally do not get very old before something must be done. Surgeons may just clip the tissue so that the valve can open more widely, allowing the child to keep their own valve as long as possible.
The other cases where repair of a BAV is discussed involve those with regurgitation.
I should mention that the other video clips on the page above are short, but they give a glimpse of the usefulness of 64 slice CT and MRI/MRA in BAV and thoracic aortic disease.
Best wishes,
Arlyss
Scrolling down on the BAF home page, there are some short video clips, and in the one about BAVD, there are some images of calcified BAVs, giving an idea of what they are like. Here is a link www.bicuspidfoundation.com
Sometimes we hear about children/teenagers having a repair of a BAV with stenosis. This is different. These BAVs are still flexible, but the tissue itself is so fused together that the valve cannot open very wide. They apparently are born this way and generally do not get very old before something must be done. Surgeons may just clip the tissue so that the valve can open more widely, allowing the child to keep their own valve as long as possible.
The other cases where repair of a BAV is discussed involve those with regurgitation.
I should mention that the other video clips on the page above are short, but they give a glimpse of the usefulness of 64 slice CT and MRI/MRA in BAV and thoracic aortic disease.
Best wishes,
Arlyss