National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Supravalvular aortic stenosis



Other Names:
SVAS; Supravalvar aortic stenosis, Eisenberg type; Aortic supravalvular stenosis
Categories:

Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is a type of heart defect that develops before birth. It is characterized by a narrowing (stenosis) of the section of the aorta just above the valve that connects the aorta to the heart (aortic valve). The severity of SVAS varies from person to person; some individuals may die in infancy while others never experience symptoms. If symptoms develop, they may include shortness of breath, chest pain, murmur, and/or eventual heart failure. Some affected individuals also have defects in other blood vessels, such as the pulmonary artery. SVAS can be caused by mutations in the ELN gene and be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, although some individuals that inherit the mutated gene never develop features of the condition (called reduced penetrance). SVAS can also be associated with Williams syndrome. Treatment may include surgery to repair the condition in severe cases.[1][2]
Last updated: 7/5/2013

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Arrhythmia
Abnormal heart rate
Heart rhythm disorders
Irregular heart beat
Irregular heartbeat
[ more ]
0011675
Supravalvular aortic stenosis 0004381
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Peripheral arterial stenosis 0004950
Pulmonary artery stenosis
Narrowing of lung artery
0004415
Pulmonic stenosis
Narrowing of pulmonic valve
0001642
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.
  • Orphanet lists international laboratories offering diagnostic testing for this condition.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
SVAS can be part of the Williams-Beuren syndrome (see this term) caused by microdeletion of the 7q11-q23 region, including the elastin and many contiguous genes. SVAS associated with Williams-Beuren syndrome is identical to isolated SVAS, however Williams-Beuren syndrome is also associated with a characteristic face, behavioural disorders and hypercalcemia.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • Orphanet lists European clinical trials, research studies, and patient registries enrolling people with this condition. 

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Supravalvular aortic stenosis. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Supravalvular aortic stenosis. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know. Submit a new question

  • I am 32 weeks pregnant and the baby has been diagnosed with aortic stenosis. I am concerned about related syndromes, including Williams syndrome; however, my medical team can't seem to give me any indication that the baby may have related problems. My medical history suggests that congenital issues are likely - this is an IVF/egg donation pregnancy and I had an unsuccessful pregnancy last year with IUGR and ambiguous sex. Can you give me any info about possible problems related to this diagnosis and any tests we can have? See answer



  1. Supravalvular aortic stenosis. Genetics Home Reference. May 2012; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/supravalvular-aortic-stenosis. Accessed 7/5/2013.
  2. Patrice Bouvagnet. Supravalvular aortic stenosis. Orphanet. February 2007; http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=en&Expert=3193. Accessed 7/5/2013.