# Biomechanical indicators of bicuspid aortic valve dysfunction

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2021 · $716,097

## Abstract

Summary: The bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common cardiac congenital
anomaly and affects ~1.4% of the population, with an approximate 2:1 male
predominance. Due to the widespread availability and routine use of screening
echocardiography, the identification of asymptomatic young patients with BAV has
become increasingly common. It has been estimated that 30%-50% of BAV patients will
require surgical intervention at some point in their life (1). Surgery is most commonly
required for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) that results in symptomatic aortic
stenosis (AS); less commonly required for aortic insufficiency (AI), ascending aortic
aneurysm, and dissection. In aortic valve replacement (AVR) patients under 50 years
old having AS, virtually all of them have BAV. In fact, until the age of 70 BAV patients
outnumber those with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) having AVR for AS. Between 71-80
years of age BAV and TAV occur in approximately equal numbers in symptomatic AS
patients, and not until over the age of 80 do TAV patients predominate (2). While
multiple factors are likely involved in the prevalence of AS in BAV patients and its
relation to aortic dissection, the presence of a BAV is consistently an exceptionally
strong risk factor for premature AS. Yet, in spite of this strong clinical association it is
not currently possible to assess which patients with BAV are at highest risk for
developing AS, preventing a rational basis for BAV patient risk stratification. We thus
hypothesize that sensitive, clinically derivable functional indices can be obtained from
patient-specific dynamic BAV anatomy that, when combined with population-based
leaflet properties, will yield clinically relevant patient-specific strategies for identifying
BAV patients at high risk for developing symptomatic AS in the future.
Narrative: The bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common cardiac congenital
anomaly. Due to the widespread availability and routine use of screening
echocardiography, development of clinical methods for the identification of
asymptomatic young patients with BAV is now realistic. We thus plan to develop
sensitive, clinically derivable functional indices that will yield clinically relevant patient-
specific strategies for identifying BAV patients at high risk.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10202702
- **Project number:** 5R01HL142504-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert C Gorman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $716,097
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10202702

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10202702, Biomechanical indicators of bicuspid aortic valve dysfunction (5R01HL142504-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10202702. Licensed CC0.

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