The Ross operation, a procedure of replacement of the diseased aortic valve with an autologous pulmonary valve, has many advantages such as no need for anticoagulation therapy and similar valve function and growth potential as native valves. However secondary aortic disease has emerged as a significant complication and indication for reoperation. We report a 48-year-old woman who had Ross opera...

BACKGROUND Avulsion of the aortic valve commissure as a cause of acute aortic valve regurgitation is mostly due to trauma, infective endocarditis, or ascending aortic dissection. Nontraumatic avulsion of the aortic valve commissure is very rare. We reviewed the literature and analyzed potential risk factors of nontraumatic avulsion. CASE PRESENTATION An 80-year-old male with hypertension was ...

The aortic regurgitant fraction was estimated noninvasively in 20 patients with aortic regurgitation from systolic aortic and pulmonary volume flow determined by duplex Doppler echocardiography. By assuming that an excess of the aortic volume flow (AF) compared with the pulmonary volume flow (PF) is due to aortic regurgitant flow, the aortic regurgitant fraction (RF) was calculated as follows: ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the durability of repair of a bicuspid aortic valve with leaflet prolapse, and to identify factors associated with repair failure. METHODS From November 1988 to January 1997, 94 patients with a bicuspid aortic valve and regurgitation from leaflet prolapse had aortic valve repair. In 66 patients, the repair employed triangular resection of the prolapsing leaflet. The rem...

GOAL The aim of this study was to show whether the concomitant functional mitral regurgitation in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement improves after this surgical procedure and to identify preoperative echocardiographic parameters that may influence the lack of improvement in mitral regurgitation (MR) after aortic valve replacement (AVR). MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 45 pa...

The clinical and investigatory findings in five instances of major detachment of an aortic valve prosthesis in four patients are described. This situation was associated with auscultatory and peripheral signs of aortic regurgitation and, in addition, a mid-diastolic murmur in the mitral area. From the haemodynamic and operative findings it was postulated that, in addition to severe aortic regur...

Subendocardial blood flow may be estimated from the ratio of flow to the subendocardium to myocardial oxygen consumption. The first may be estimated from the diastolic pressure time index (area between aortic and left ventricular (LV) pressure during diastole) and the latter by the tension time index (integral of LV pressure during systolic ejection). Subendocardial flow index (SEFI) averaged 1...

OBJECTIVES The unreinforced aortic root, in bicuspid aortic valve disease, has been shown to dilate and cause recurrent regurgitation. The objective of this study was to determine whether reduction aortoplasty can reliably prevent aortic root dilatation after aortic valve repair in bicuspid disease. METHODS A total of 66 patients, with a mean age of 41.2±12 years and with incompetent bicuspid...

Background. Our objective was to assess phasic coronary blood flow and velocity characteristics of the proximal portion of the left anterior descending artery and to evaluate their relation to the clinical and hemodynamic manifestations in patients with aortic valve disease. Methods and Results. We examined 26 patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR), 12 patients with predominant aortic ...