Osaka city medical journal
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Comparative Study
Diagnostic accuracy of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography for the diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve: comparison with operative findings.
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is associated with an increased risk of aortic valve (AV) dysfunction, aortic dissection, and infective endocarditis. Therefore, its accurate diagnosis is critical. The morphological features of AVs are generally evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), however, the difference in the diagnostic capability of these imaging modalities for detecting BAV remains unclear. Here, we compared these 2 methods to determine their accuracy, and to clarify each role in the diagnosis of BAV. ⋯ TEE provides higher accuracy and feasibility than TTE in the diagnosis of BAV, and it should therefore be indicated when morphological features of AVs cannot be evaluated by TTE.