Congenitally Bicuspid Aortic Valves: A Surgical Pathology Study of 542 Cases (1991 Through 1996) and a Literature Review of 2,715 Additional Cases

To describe a clinicopathologic study of a large group of congenitally bicuspid aortic valves surgically excised at a single institution. The medical charts and bicuspid valves from patients undergoing aortic valve replacement at Mayo Clinic Rochester between 1991 and 1996 were retrospectively reviewed. The age of the 542 patients ranged from 1 to 86 years (mean, 61), and 372 (69%) were men. Among these, 409 (75%) had pure aortic stenosis (AS), 73 (13%) had pure aortic insufficiency (regurgitation) (AI), 53 (10%) had combined AS and AI, and 7 (1%) had normal function. The mean age was higher for those with AS than AI (65 versus 46 years; P