Your primary care provider or cardiologist will decide on the most appropriate course of treatment for a bicuspid aortic valve. Your treatment will depend on the condition of the valve and your symptoms and complications, among other factors.
One option is to treat the symptoms and complications of aortic disease with medicines. They won’t solve the underlying problem of an abnormal valve. Medicines can, however, reduce the stress on your heart by controlling high blood pressure and heart rate.
If you have severe aortic regurgitation or stenosis, you may need a procedure to repair or replace the aortic valve.
One option to repair a stiff aortic valve is a balloon valvuloplasty, a minimally invasive procedure that involves sending a balloon through a catheter to the heart. Expanding the balloon can open the valve.
Options for a replacement valve include a mechanical valve or one made of animal tissue. Your healthcare provider will determine whether open-heart surgery or a minimally invasive procedure would be right for you. During a minimally invasive procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), an interventional cardiologist will use a catheter to deliver a new aortic valve to the heart. The replacement valve fits inside the old one.
