Editorial
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Dec 26, 2014; 6(12): 1227-1233
Published online Dec 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i12.1227
Etiology of bicuspid aortic valve disease: Focus on hemodynamics
Samantha K Atkins, Philippe Sucosky
Samantha K Atkins, Philippe Sucosky, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
Author contributions: Atkins SK and Sucosky P contributed equally to this paper.
Supported by National Science Foundation faculty early CAREER grant, No. CMMI-1148558; National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, No. 1000082474; and American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship, No. 14PRE18940010
Correspondence to: Philippe Sucosky, PhD, FAHA, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, 143 Multidisciplinary Research Building, Notre Dame, IN 46556-5637, United States. philippe.sucosky@nd.edu
Telephone: +1-574-6311898 Fax: +1-574-6312144
Received: August 23, 2014
Revised: November 11, 2014
Accepted: November 27, 2014
Published online: December 26, 2014
Processing time: 128 Days and 1 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: The bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is associated with secondary aortopathy and valvulopathy. However, the root cause of those complications remains controversial. While the genetic etiology has been the most popular historically, advances in cardiovascular imaging, flow characterization and tissue culture methodologies have provided new evidence in support of a hemodynamic origin. The assessment of the respective role of genetic and hemodynamic cues in BAV pathogenesis is critical to the development of improved diagnosis tools and patient-specific modalities. This editorial discusses the different possible etiologies of BAV disease with a particular focus on the most recent evidence for the hemodynamic pathway.