title: Clinical outcome, valve dysfunction, and progressive aortic dilation in a pediatric population with isolated bicuspid aortic valve.
abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the medium-term clinical outcome and the risk of progression of aortic valve disease and aortic dilation in pediatric patients with isolated bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). 179 pediatric patients with isolated BAV were prospectively followed from January 1995 to December 2010. Patients with severe valve dysfunction at baseline were excluded. Clinical outcome included cardiac death, infective endocarditis, aortic complications, cardiac surgery and percutaneous valvuloplasty. Echocardiographic endpoints were: progression of aortic stenosis (AS) or regurgitation (AR) and progressive aortic enlargement at different levels of the aortic root, evaluated as z-score. The median age at diagnosis was 7.8 [2.7-12.0] years. After a median followup of 5.4 [2.3-9.2] years, all patients were alive. The clinical endpoint occurred in 4 (2.2 %) patients (0.41 events per 100 patient-years). A progression of AS and AR was observed in 9 (5.0 %) and 29 (16.2 %) patients, respectively. The z-scores at the end of follow-up were not significantly different from baseline at the annulus, Valsalva sinuses and sinotubular junction, whereas a slight increase was observed at the level of the ascending aorta (1.9 vs 1.5, p = 0.046). Significant progressive aortic dilation occurred in a minority of patients (10.6, 5.6, 9.5, and 19.0 % respectively). The clinical outcome in pediatric patients with isolated BAV is favourable and the progression of aortic valve dysfunction and aortic dilation is relatively slow. These findings may be taken into account to better guide risk assessment and clinical follow-up in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Cardiology Unit, Meyer Hospital, Viale Pieraccini 24, Florence, Italy, gaiaspaziani@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gaia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spaziani
authors.forename: Piercarlo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ballo
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Favilli
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fibbi
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Buonincontri
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pollini
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zuppiroli
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiappa
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000082882:Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors