BACKGROUND The effective aortic regurgitant orifice area varies with aortic pressure in animal models of acute aortic regurgitation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the aortic regurgitant orifice area changes during diastole in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation. METHODS AND RESULTS Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography were performed immediately before and a...

A 27-year-old man with Marfan syndrome was referred to our department for dilatation of the aortic root with mild aortic regurgitation. His past medical history was unremarkable. Physical examination was normal except for a pectus excavatum. Transthoracic ultrasounds scan showed normal left ventricular function, mild aortic and mitral regurgitation, and dilatation of the aortic root with maximu...

Congenital quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare cardiac anomaly. More than half of the patients with this abnormality will develop aortic insufficiency in adulthood. It is vital that patients with quadricuspid aortic valve who present with progressive aortic regurgitation undergo valve replacement or repair at appropriate time. Here, we present two cases of quadricuspid aortic valve. We first de...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Several aortic valve sparing techniques have been described for the treatment of aortic root aneurysms. We report our experience using the reimplantation technique in 120 patients. METHODS Between March 2004 and October 2010, 120 patients with aortic root aneurysms underwent David operations. Of these, 51 were diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Mean patient age was 31...

OBJECTIVE Reoperation rates after repair of bicuspid aortic valves are higher than for mitral valve reconstruction. Satisfactory results have been reported for patch augmentation for tricuspid aortic valves. We have applied this technique for the repair of bicuspid aortic valves. METHODS Autologous pericardium is sutured to the free edge of the prolapsing bicuspid leaflet. A large coaptation ...

PURPOSE We investigated the effects of percutaneous valved stent implantation in the ascending aorta as an alternative treatment for aortic regurgitation in a canine model. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 16 healthy dogs weighing an average of 18.3 ± 2.1 kg were used for the establishment of animal models of chronic aortic regurgitation by percutaneous aortic valve perforation and balloon di...

A33-year-old man presented to the hospital with shortness of breath and chest pain. He was subsequently diagnosed with Streptococcus mitis endocarditis involving the aortic valve. The initial echocardiogram revealed moderate aortic valve regurgitation and a normal mitral valve without regurgitation. The patient was treated with afterload reduction and antibiotics. Blood cultures were negative w...

This study was performed to determine the effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor alacepril on hemodynamic variables and beta-adrenoceptor number in rabbits with heart failure induced by aortic regurgitation. Aortic regurgitation was induced by perforation of the aortic valve in 12 rabbits. Sixty mg/kg of alacepril was administered by gastric tube for 7 days after manifestation o...

Doppler ultrasound without concomitant echocardiographic imaging was used to grade isolated aortic regurgitation in 21 patients. The severity of aortic regurgitation was subsequently graded (from 0 to IV) angiographically. A 2 MHz continuous wave Doppler transducer was placed over the apex of the heart and the beam was aimed parallel to the mitral flow by means of acoustic guidance. Mitral pres...