Dewitt Daughtry Department of Surgery
In this month’s issue, Tao et al. present an interesting and rare case
of cardiac pathology in an adult found to have a bicuspid aortic valve
(BAV) in conjunction with a mature cystic teratoma.1Individually, each entity is exceedingly rare with the reported
incidence of 1% for BAV and 0.02% for primary cardiac
tumors.2,3 Thus, this report of a patient with both
extraordinarily uncommon pathologies marks the first of its kind.
The bicuspid aortic valve has long been associated with various
congenital or hereditary disorders. However, traditionally these have
included coarctation, aortic aneurysms and Turner’s syndrome; not
primary cardiac tumors such as the intracardiac mature cystic teratoma
found in this patient.4 Nevertheless, independent of
the associated cardiac disorders, accurate and timely diagnosis of BAV
is essential as the sequalae of chronically untreated BAV can be
fatal.5
Valve disorders are also commonly associated with BAV, particularly
aortic stenosis, and less commonly, aortic
regurgitation.6 Interestingly, while isolated BAV and
severe aortic regurgitation, as observed in this patient, is relatively
uncommon, when coupled with additional cardiac pathology, the incidence
of aortic regurgitation significantly increases.7
While pathologically, mature cystic teratomas are benign, the long-term
ramifications of a missed intracardiac lesion are anything but benign
and can include mechanical outflow obstruction, tumor embolization, and
arrythmias secondary to invasion into the conduction
system.8 Fortunately for this patient, the concomitant
presence of a bicuspid aortic valve progressed to symptomatic aortic
regurgitation, prompting the patient to seek medical evaluation. This
led to a full cardiac workup including multimodal imaging of which
incidentally discovered the intracardiac lesion. Surgical resection was
performed at the time of valve replacement followed by an uncomplicated
postoperative course.
One may question the clinical significance of the authors report given
the relative infrequency of either condition in the general population.
Undeniably however, in our modern medical era of ubiquitous and arguably
at times, superfluous, cardiac imaging, such rarities may become
commonplace. Therefore, as we become increasingly reliant on routine
noninvasive diagnostic modalities, so too must the clinician be readily
skilled at deciphering which incidental findings require intervention,
which require further diagnostic workup, and which can be merely
observed. As the authors describe however, there are select
circumstances where advanced imaging is warranted to properly diagnose
cardiac lesions. Nevertheless, surgical excision remains the standard of
care for definitive diagnosis of cardiac lesions. If nothing more, this
case report serves as an imperative reminder to clinicians to broaden
our differential diagnoses as statistically speaking, anything is
possible.
References:
1. Tao Z, Li Y, Zhao Y, Liu D. Incidental Finding of an Adult
Intracardiac Teratoma. J Card Surg . 2021;in press.
2. Braverman A. The Bicuspid Aortic Valve and Associated Aortic Disease.
In: Otto C, Bonrow R, eds. Valvular Heart Disease . 4th ed.
Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier; 2013:179.
3. Bakaeen FG, Reardon MJ, Coselli JS, et al. Surgical outcome in 85
patients with primary cardiac tumors. Am J Surg .
2003;186(6):641-647; discussion 647. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2003.08.004
4. Wang L, Ming Wang L, Chen W, Chen X. Bicuspid Aortic Valve: A Review
of its Genetics and Clinical Significance. J Heart Valve Dis .
2016;25(5):568-573.
5. Kim S, Soltoski P, Karamanoukian H, Salerno T. Diagnosis in Valve
Disease. In: Bayruns C, Lamsback B, eds. Cardiac Surgery Secrets .
1st ed. Philadelphia; 2000:47.
6. Roberts WC, Morrow AG, McIntosh CL, Jones M, Epstein SE. Congenitally
bicuspid aortic valve causing severe, pure aortic regurgitation without
superimposed infective endocarditis. Analysis of 13 patients requiring
aortic valve replacement. Am J Cardiol . 1981;47(2):206-209.
doi:10.1016/0002-9149(81)90385-4
7. Fenoglio JJJ, McAllister HAJ, DeCastro CM, Davia JE, Cheitlin MD.
Congenital bicuspid aortic valve after age 20. Am J Cardiol .
1977;39(2):164-169. doi:10.1016/s0002-9149(77)80186-0
8. Bethea B, Richter A. Primary Cardiac Tumors. In: Yuh D, Vricella L,
Yang S, Doty J, eds. Johns Hopkins Textbook of Cardiothoracic
Surgery . 2nd ed. China: McGraw-Hill Education.