title: Congenital quadricuspid aortic valve associated with aortic regurgitation.
abstract: A case of quadricuspid aortic valve is described. The aortic valve consisted of 3 equal-sized and 1 smaller cusps, and a supernumerary cusp located between the right and noncoronary cusps. A right coronary ostium was close to the accessory commissure, and in a lower position. Three fenestrations were found at the supernumerary commissure. Aortic valve replacement was performed successfully with a St. Jude Medical prosthetic valve. On histological examination, the resected cusps showed fibrotic thickening with calcification and no sign of previous inflammatory disease. Quadricuspid aortic valve must be considered a malformation capable of leading to severe valve failure in later life.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasunaga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kosuga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oishi
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000473:pathology*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged