BICUSPID AORTIC FOUNDATION |
Contact Us Bicuspid Aortic Foundation 30100 Town Center Drive, SuiteO-299 Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 Telephone Toll free in the US (888) 310-HOPE (4673) or (949) 495-0027 Fax: (949) 606-0413 Email: contactus@bicuspidfoundation.com The Bicuspid Aortic Foundation recognizes the importance of maintaining the privacy
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Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease |
All aortic aneurysm and dissection in the chest |
For families and medical professionals, by families and medical professionals |
Creating a climate of hope |
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Creating a climate of hope, an atmosphere of caring, and a source of information for
all who are touched by thoracic aortic disease and the medical professionals
who care for them. |
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Bicuspid Aortic Foundation Scientific Advisory Board |
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Additional Resources |
Hope Through Knowledge from the BAF 2008 Conference State-of-the-Art Imaging: Measuring the Ascending Aorta During Systole and Diastole With Cardiac-Gated 64 Slice CTA |
An active man with a young family developed symptoms including severe shortness of
breath. Eight years previously his BAV had been replaced with a homograft. His
native aortic tissue remained above the homograft. His diagnostic testing included cardiac-gated 64 slice CTA. Click here to watch a video clip about cardiac-gated 64 slice CT. |
This man had already undergone one surgery. Identifying the abnormality of the ascending
aorta allowed it to be resected in the same surgery as the replacement
of the calcified homograft. It is during systole, with the blood-filled aorta at maximum distention, that dissection or rupture may occur. Therefore, it is the systolic blood pressure that is monitored and controlled with medication. Expertise in capturing the maximum diameter of the ascending aorta during systole is key to evaluating and appropriately resecting the abnormal ascending aorta, potentially allowing patients to avoid future surgeries or catastrophic events due to diseased aortic tissue. The Bicuspid Aortic Foundation wishes to thank Gerald Friede, MS, of Westside Medical Imaging, and Dr. Sharo Raissi for presenting this information at the Foundation's Third Annual Conference, July 2008. |
During cardiac-gated CTA, the images are timed to the beating of the heart, making it possible to measure the aorta during the time when the heart is relaxed (diastole) as well as when it is contracted (systole). In this patient during diastole, the ascending aorta above the homograft measured 3.5 cm. However, during systole, the native mid-ascending aorta at the same point reached a maximum diameter of 4.4 cm. This is an unusually large change in size, the aorta bulging an additional 9 mm as the heart contracted, forcing blood from the left ventricle out through the aortic valve and into the aorta. At the time this work was performed there in July 2008, Westside Medical Imaging had measured approximately 5000 aortas in both systole and diastole, establishing a large knowledge base of characterization of the thoracic aorta. Their data indicates that the expected aortic expansion is typically 3 - 4 mm greater during systole in those under age 45. From the ages of 50 to early 60's, a difference of about 2 mm is expected. In those ages 80 to 90, the aorta has stiffened significantly and there is little change in size between systole and diastole. |
Ascending Aortic Aneurysm |
Normal Aorta |