[Bicuspid aortic valve and aortic disease: past, present and future]

Bicuspid Aortic Valve is the most common cardiac congenital abnormality occurring in 1% to 2% of the general population. The acquired bicuspid valve has been considered by some authors to be a rheumatic disease consequence. Meanwhile, some recent experimental studies where atrioventricular valves have been studied for the presence of rheumatic stigmata have excluded this hypothesis. There are some theories that can explain the genesis of this disease but actually Bicuspid Aortic Valve is often considered a benign lesion early in life, but its valvular and vascular complications result in considerable morbidity and mortality later in life. Beside beta-blockers, there are some drugs that are being study and may be used in a nearly future for slower disease progression, although the definitive treatment still is the cardiac valve replacement surgery.