Bicuspid Aortic Stenosis with and without Aortopathy: Considerations for Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement versus Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Abstract

The treatment of aortic stenosis has evolved in recent years with the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as a complementary strategy to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The majority of clinical trials to date have included only tricuspid aortic stenosis and excluded bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs). BAVs are associated with unique challenges related to their anatomy, clinical presentation, and association with aortopathy. BAV has a spectrum of phenotypes and the classification is still evolving. There have been no definitive clinical guidelines on triaging BAV patients towards TAVR or SAVR. Given that TAVR is moving from high-risk to low-risk patients and becoming more widely used in the treatment of BAV, there are many factors that must be considered. The aim of this article is to review the literature and present considerations for heart teams to discuss in order to offer patients the best lifetime management strategy for BAV stenosis.