PhD defence A.T. (Allard) van den Hoven

In this thesis we describe syndromic thoracic aortic pathology. The first part takes a detailed look at cardiovascular disease in women with Turner syndrome. We describe some previously unknown heart defects and describe, for the first time, how the quality of life of these women is affected by their heartdisease. The second part deals with the patient with the bicuspid aortic valve, more than previously described we show them phenotypical diversity of this relatively common and sometimes benign heart condition. Several aspects of these heart valve abnormalities are described and show that it is a more diverse phenotype than previously thought. In the last part, we will discuss the rare aneurysm-osteoartitis syndrome. Patients with this syndrome suffer from aggressive and previously often dilatation of the arteries. We show that with the protocol developed in Erasmus MC, with vigilant follow-up, this can now often be recognized and treated in time.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall or in the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.