ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (aTAA) is a heterogeneous group of disorders that involve impaired endothelial function. The nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) serves as an endothelial dysfunction marker. Thus, we investigated ADMA levels in patients with aTAA. METHODS: Eighty-six patients with aTAA and 18 healthy individuals were enrolled. All patients underwent echocardiography. Plasma ADMA levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: ADMA levels were higher in aTAA patients than in control patients (p = 0.034). According to the multivariable regression model, higher ADMA levels were associated with ascending aortic diameter (p = 0.017), smoking (p = 0.016), and log-transformed estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrates an association of ADMA with ascending aortic dilatation; however, further studies are needed to investigate whether increased ADMA levels underlie aTAA development.
ABSTRACT
The quadricuspid aortic valve is a very uncommon malformation associated with aortic insufficiency, aortic stenosis, endocarditis, and ascending aortic dilatation. We report four cases of this aortic valve malformation. One patient with severe aortic regurgitation and moderate aortic dilatation required aortic valve replacement. Three patients had mild or moderate aortic insufficiency combined with moderate ascending aortic dilatation. These patients were referred to follow-up. The presented cases demonstrate that this aortic valve malformation may not be as rare as it appears and that attention must be paid to any quadricuspid findings during computed tomographic angiography and echocardiography.
