ABSTRACT

A bicuspid aortic valve is a common congenital cardiac val-vular abnormality that is detected in 1 to 2% of the populati- on. Men are affected three or four times more frequently than women. The bicuspid aortic valve is associated with aortic val-ve prolapsus, aortic stenosis and regurgitation.

14 years old male is presented in this study. He was admitted to hospital with dizziness after physical activity, and died at the hospital on the same day. Autopsy revealed no traumatic signs in external examination. Heart was 380 gr, the thickness of right ventricule was 0,4 cm, the thickness of left ventricle was 2 cm. Aortic valve consisted of two leaflets displaying fibrotic thickness, total length of the leaflets were 3,8 cm. Histopatho-logic examination disclosed myocardial hypertrophy, fibrotic and calcified aortic valve.

The aim of this study is to emphasize the importance of au-topsy for sudden deaths and discuss the role of cardiac abnor-malities in such cases.

Keywords: Bicuspid aortic valve, autopsy, aortic stenosis, sudden death.