aortic cusp abnormality
Last reviewed 01/2018
Cusp abnormality, which may be caused by:
- rheumatic valvulitis:
- vegetations appear on the aortic cusps during acute rheumatic fever
- following the acute valvulitis there is fibrotic shrinkage, causing aortic regurgitation and stenosis
- congenital:
- often the valve is bicuspid as well as deficient
- sometimes a ventricular septal defect may cause prolapse of the associated cusp
- infective endocarditis:
- usually occurs on an abnormal valve
- occasionally a normal valve is the site of an infection in either older patients with degenerative changes, drug addicts or with infection with virulent organisms e.g. staphylococcus