Figure 1
From Schaefer, et al [5]: orientation of real BAV (upper row, without a raphe), and functional BAV (lower row, with raphe).
Figure 2
Bicuspid aortic valve leaflet spanning the width of the sinus in a curve resembling a hammock.
Figure 3
Flow diagram: Two RIS searches resulting in equally sized and nearly age-matched study groups.
Table 1
Cross tabulation of BAV diagnosis based upon the hammock sign versus gold standard.
| DECISION | GOLD STANDARD | |
|---|---|---|
| BICUSPID VALVE | TRICUSPID VALVE/FUNCTIONAL BAV | |
| Bicuspid | 17 | 0 |
| Tricuspid | 4 | 23 |
| Missing* | 1 | |
[i] (*) Missing: open valve: ‘probably bicuspid’ in first round.
Table 2
Degree of certainty in ECG triggered and non-ECG-triggered series.
| ECG TRIGGERED | NO ECG | |
|---|---|---|
| Definitely | 13 | 16 |
| Probably | 2 | 12 |
| Maybe | 0 | 1 |
| Missing | 0 | 1 |
Table 3
Interobserver (a) and intra-observer (b) correspondence of BAV diagnosis based upon the hammock sign.
| A. | DVD | |
|---|---|---|
| CVL | BICUSPID VALVE | TRICUSPID VALVE/SINUS |
| Bicuspid | 18 | 2 |
| Tricuspid | 4 | 21 |
| B. | DVD2 | |
| DVD1 | BICUSPID VALVE | TRICUSPID VALVE/SINUS |
| Bicuspid | 18 | 1 |
| Tricuspid | 0 | 26 |
Figure 4
Upper Left (A): Scrolling through a coronal stack of images of a BAV which has a perfectly coronal coaptation plane. The hammock-like curve of the valve leaflets is present on every image: positive hammock sign. Lower Right (B): On the sagittal images there is no hammock-like curve at all.
Figure 5
Scrolling through a coronal image stack of a BAV which has an oblique orientation to the coronal plane: the valve coaptation swings from (the patient’s) right to left.
Figure 6
A. Scrolling through an oronal stack of images of a tricuspid aortic valve: the coaption plane of right and posterior leaflet has a coronal orientation and is thus rather inconspicuous (indicated with *). The two other coaptation planes can be seen moving inwards from the (patient’s) left, down to the middle of the sinus, and then up to the left again. In B, an oblique reconstruction to show images perpendicular to the left-and-posterior coaptation plane: two coaptation planes move inwards from either side, and the third remains centered.