Biomechanical properties and histomorphometric features of aortic tissue in patients with or without bicuspid aortic valve

Background We sought to investigate and compare biomechanical properties and histomorphometric findings of thoracic ascending aorta aneurysm (TAA) tissue from patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) in order to clarify mechanisms underlying differences in the clinical course. Methods Circumferential sections of TAA tissue in patients with BAV (BAV-TAA) and TAV (TAV-TAA) were obtained during surgery and used for biomechanical tests and histomorphometrical analysis. Results In BAV-TAA, we observed biomechanical higher peak stress and lower Young modulus values compared with TAV-TAA wall. The right lateral longitudinal region seemed to be the most fragile zon…