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Spontaneous intracranial hypotension in patients with bicuspid aortic valve

Wouter I Schievink1, Sharo S Raissi

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA. schievinkw@cshs.org

The Journal of Heart Valve Disease
|February 16, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), a connective tissue disorder, may have a higher risk of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. This condition can cause headaches and is often misdiagnosed.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a headache cause often linked to connective tissue disorders.
  • Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a common connective tissue disorder associated with various headaches.

Observation:

  • The study investigated the prevalence of BAV in SIH patients.
  • A control group of patients with non-SIH headaches was also analyzed.

Findings:

  • Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) was found in 1.1% of SIH patients (3 of 273).
  • No BAV cases were identified in the control group of 506 patients.

Implications:

  • BAV may indicate an increased risk for developing SIH.
  • A shared neural crest cell origin for aortic valve and spinal dura may explain the association between BAV and SIH.
Abstract

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