Symptoms & Signs
Most of the time, bicuspid aortic valve is not diagnosed in infants or children because it causes no symptoms. However, the abnormal valve can leak or become narrow.
Symptoms of such complications may include:
- Baby tires easily
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid and irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
- Loss of consciousness (fainting)
- Pale skin
If a baby has other congenital heart problems, they may cause symptoms that will lead to the discovery of a bicuspid aortic valve.
Diagnosis & Tests
Signs of a bicuspid aortic valve may include:
- Enlarged heart
- Heart murmur
- Weak pulse in the wrists and ankles
Tests that may show a bicuspid aortic valve include:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart
- Ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram)
If the health care provider suspects complications or additional heart defects, other tests may include:
- Chest x-rays
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Test of the electrical activity in the heart (electrocardiogram)
- X-ray of the heart’s blood vessels using a special dye (angiography)
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Bicuspid aortic valve : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Bicuspid aortic valve : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Bicuspid aortic valve : Treatment
Review Date : 4/30/2008
Reviewed By : Mark A Fogel, MD, FACC, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, Director of Cardiac MR, The Children’s Hospital of PhiladelphiaDivision of Cardiology, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
