Bicuspid Confirmed

[TitanEddie]

got the results of my MRI today and it is a bicuspid valve. They had been going back and forth as to whether it was bicuspid, disease damaged, or just prematurely calcified. Luckily no aortic issues or blockages so looks like valve replacement only. Was told I needed to explain to my relatives about letting their doctor know about this so they can be monitored, going to be an interesting conversation "Hey Jason, this is Eddie, I know we haven't talked in 10 years but just wanted you to know you might have a heart condition, good luck" (Sarcasm by the way).
:Smile:

 

[pellicle]

Hey, glad you don't have aneurysm, it will be worthwhile knowing if its bicuspid or not as this will give you an indicator of possibility (increased) of aneurysm. Hopefully its just calcification from previous injury (such as sickness).

going to be an interesting conversation "Hey Jason, this is Eddie, I know we haven't talked in 10 years but just wanted you to know you might have a heart condition, good luck" (Sarcasm by the way).
:Smile:

"yeah, Eddie, thanks for the call ... good to hear from you. Hey I was meaning to ring you and say I've had my valve replaced 2 years back...."

 

[TitanEddie]

Hey, glad you don't have aneurysm, it will be worthwhile knowing if its bicuspid or not as this will give you an indicator of possibility (increased) of aneurysm. Hopefully its just calcification from previous injury (such as sickness).



"yeah, Eddie, thanks for the call ... good to hear from you. Hey I was meaning to ring you and say I've had my valve replaced 2 years back...."

Yea, wouldn't that be a bitch. Just talked to the surgeon and 100% bicuspid. So, thanks grandpa! Seriously talking to the family, my mother died at 43 from a brain aneurysm which he said is an increased chance with a bicuspid valve and my grandfather died at 46 from a "heart problem" back in 1963 before I was born but they said he would just pass out so my guess is he had it as well. Anyway, date gets set this week.

 

[Paleowoman]

No one in my family had bicuspid aortic valve or died from aneurysm or indeed heart related disease - going back to grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. My aortic valve was confirmed bicuspid several years before I had surgery, and when I had surgery the type of fusion was given. I wasn't told to tell any of my relatives ! My son, who is paranoid about his health in a big way, keeps asking his GP to check his heart - he's fine. By the time I was his age (26) the murmur from my aortic valve was quite clear even though I didn't need it replacing till I was 60.

 

[epstns]

I suspect that my father and a couple of his siblings had BAV, but nobody ever talked about it. Two of his sisters and two of his brothers had "heart palpitations" and died unexpectedly of heart problems. Sounds like untreated aortic stenosis to me. They were in their 50's when they died. My father died at 68, of a heart attack, but I still think it was untreated stenosis (sudden cardiac death). Dad became short of breath a lot in his later years, but they wrote it off to emphysema from 50 years as a smoker. Maybe, maybe not. . .

My valve was confirmed bicuspid, but only once they got it out of my heart and could clearly see it. Before that, they could only report "presumed bicuspid" because none of the echo's were that clearly visualized.

At the time of my surgery (4 years ago), I had no aneurysms or other connective tissue problems noted.

 

[cldlhd]

I guess expecting a settled opinion from the medical community is asking a bit much but it can be a tad irritating how some experts say the aneurysm risk with a bicuspid valve is only in the specific areas ( root,ascending and proximal arch ) while others say you're more likely to get them all over , like your brain, descending aorta etc.

 

[tom in MO]

Bicuspid risk in family members is only supposed to extend to immediate relatives, so you don't need to tell everyone. Not all doctors are on that train yet. I wouldn't diagnose your dead relatives either. There's a host of other heart problems that can kill you. Personally, None of my relatives died of a bicuspid and those that died pre-1980 all lived well into their late 70s unless they succumbed to cancer or a freight train.