Center for Bicuspid Aortic Valve Diseases

Care for bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) involves lifelong surveillance and specialized treatment. Penn Medicine is the only health system in the Philadelphia region to offer a comprehensive program specifically for patients with BAV and associated thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Understanding Bicuspid Aortic Valve and Related Diseases

The aortic valve normally has three cusps or flaps, however, in patients with bicuspid aortic valve, the aortic valve has only two cusps. This deformity, which is congenital (present at birth) keeps the valve from functioning properly.

Learn more about bicuspid aortic valve

With age, a bicuspid valve may lead to additional heart conditions including:

• Aortic dissection, a tear in the wall of the aorta
• Aortic regurgitation (also called aortic insufficiency), which is a leaky valve
• Aortic stenosis, the narrowing of the aortic valve
• Heart failure, where the heart weakens from working too hard to pump blood
• Thoracic aortic aneurysm, an abnormal bulge in the part of the aorta located in the chest

Surveillance and Treatment for Bicuspid Aortic Valve

A bicuspid valve may function for years without causing symptoms or obvious signs of a problem. Early diagnosis can lead to improved long-term outcomes for patients. Patients who do not have additional risk factors or symptoms that need to be immediately addressed may only require active surveillance to monitor for additional heart conditions. Approximately 80 percent of patients with BAV require valve repair or replacement at some point.

Penn's cardiac surgery and imaging experts monitor your disease regularly with advanced imaging techniques. If there are changes to your valve or aorta, the cardiac team creates an individualized treatment plan.

Our academic surgeons treat BAV and associated aortic aneurysm disease with procedures including:

• Aorta surgery, an open-chest surgery to repair aortic damage by removing the diseased section and replacing it with a graft
• Aortic valve repair and replacement surgery, where our cardiac surgeons repair or replace the bicuspid valve using either open-heart or minimally invasive heart surgery
• Hybrid aorta surgery, which combines open surgery and catheter-based procedures to repair complex aortic conditions
• Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), where surgeons thread a synthetic reinforced graft (tube) to the damaged part of the aorta through a catheter inserted in an artery in your leg
• Valve-sparing aortic root replacement, a specialized operation used to repair the aortic root without replacing the patient's native valve

Treating Bicuspid Aortic Valve: The Penn Medicine Advantage

Penn Medicine offers comprehensive care for BAV patients throughout their lifetime, including condition monitoring and treatment. As a national leader in BAV treatment, you can expect our clinicians and caregivers to offer leading-edge treatment options and care. At the Center for Bicuspid Aortic Valve Diseases, you'll find:

• Excellent outcomes: Our heart surgeons perform the highest number of valve surgeries in Pennsylvania, leading to the best possible outcomes for patients for this particular heart valve disease.
• Innovative treatment: For select patients with BAV, Penn's renowned surgeons conduct procedures other hospitals can't, such as surgical repair of bicuspid aortic valves.
• Genetic screening: In collaboration with our genetics team, we provide screening for all first-degree relatives (parents and siblings) of patients diagnosed with BAV.
• Multidisciplinary team: Our dedicated team of cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists, geneticists and advanced practice providers work together to treat every aspect of BAV and associated aortic aneurysm.
• Timely care: We conduct comprehensive clinical evaluations and monitoring. We can usually offer you an appointment with one of our specialists within two weeks.

Request an Appointment

To make an appointment, please call 800-789-7366 or request a callback.