Aortic valve repair for aortic regurgitation and preoperative echocardiographic assessment

Age-related etiologies of aortic regurgitation with moderate or greater severity and coronary cusp bending: evaluation using transesophageal echocardiography

PURPOSE

The prevalence of valvular heart disease has been rising, especially among those ≥ 65 years of age, because of age-related valvular degeneration resulting in an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with aortic regurgitation (AR). We analyzed transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) images in AR patients to identify the etiologies and investigate any differences in them according to age.

METHODS

We studied 146 consecutive patients with chronic moderate or severe AR who underwent TEE. AR etiology was evaluated based on the TEE images in all the patients, as well as in each group separated by age.

RESULTS

The total number of patients eligible was 126 (mean age 67 ± 12 years), consisting of an older group (n = 85, mean age 74 ± 5 years) and younger group (n = 41, mean age 52 ± 11 years). In total, the most common etiology of AR was cusp bending (33.0%). In the older group, it was the most frequent as well (48.2%), with the right coronary cusp being the most commonly affected site (90.2%). In the younger group, bicuspid aortic valve was the most common (36.5%). Subsequently, all the study subjects were re-classified into two groups according to the presence/absence of cusp bending. Multivariate analysis revealed that age was the only factor associated with cusp bending.

CONCLUSION

Cusp bending was the most frequent etiology of AR in the elderly. Preoperative detection of cusp bending by TEE would expand the therapeutic strategy for AR, including aortic valvuloplasty.

Patient-Tailored Aortic Valve Replacement

Contemporary surgical and transcatheter aortic valve interventions offer effective therapy for a broad range of patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve disease. Both approaches have seen significant advances in recent years. Guidelines have previously emphasized ‘surgical risk’ in the decision between surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), although this delineation becomes increasingly obsolete with more evidence on the effectiveness of TAVR in low surgical risk candidates. More importantly, decisions in tailoring aortic valve interventions should be patient-centered, accounting not only for operative risk, but also anatomy, lifetime management and specific co-morbidities. Aspects to be considered in a patient-tailored aortic valve intervention are discussed in this article.

Surgical treatment of mild to moderately dilated ascending aorta in bicuspid aortic valve aortopathy: the art of safety and simplicity

Background

Evaluate the safety and efficacy of our modified technique of the extravascular procedure for treating mild to moderately dilated ascending aorta in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) aortopathy.

Methods

From January 2015 to December 2018,119 consecutive patients with BAV and ascending aorta dilatation (dimension 40 mm~ 45 mm) were diagnosed in our institution. Among these,49 patients received aggressive aortic valve replace (AVR) + ascending aorta wrapped (wrapped group) while the other 70 patients received AVR + ascending aorta replacement (wheat group). All patients clinical and follow up data were collected for 12 months.

Results

Aortic clamping and cardio-pulmonary bypass times were significantly longer in wheat group than wrap group (P < 0.001and 0.021,respectively). The first 24 h drainage in wheat group were much more than wrap group(P = 0.04). Ascending aorta diameter、left ventricular end diameter and ejection fraction were statistically different between pre- and post-operation (p < 0.001) in both groups, but the heart function and complication were no difference during follow up.

Conclusions

External wrapping of the ascending aorta and wheat procedure have good short-term and long-term results in BAV patients with a mild to moderately dilated ascending aorta. The perioperative period results of external wrapping of the ascending aorta for BAV patients were encouraging.

Aortic valve repair for aortic regurgitation and preoperative echocardiographic assessment

Aortic valvuloplasty (AVP) has been performed less frequently than mitral valvuloplasty. The survival benefit of AVP over replacement has been demonstrated. Therefore, standardization of AVP is crucial for its widespread adoption. The hemodynamic advantage of AVP of preserving the native aortic valve may be one reason for the survival benefit. Recent guidelines still recommend AVP in selected cases compared with the less restricted recommendation for mitral valvuloplasty, although recent studies have proposed earlier indication for surgical intervention. Indication for aortic root replacement is also still conservative, especially in Japan. However, more liberal root replacement should be recommended for better repair when AVP is indicated. Theoretically, all aortic regurgitation lesions can be repaired with acceptable durability. However, restricted cusp should be extended by a pericardial patch, which itself has emerged as a risk of recurrence. Therefore, indications for aortic regurgitation for type III lesions should be determined carefully. Special consideration is crucial for bicuspid aortic valve repair; prevention of postoperative stenosis is especially important. Arrangement of the commissure position is the most important consideration for this purpose, although it remains controversial. Therefore, detailed diagnosis is important in planning AVP, and echocardiography plays a key role in this process.