OBJECTIVE To evaluate long term results and independent predictors of outcome of aortic valvoplasty. DESIGN Retrospective follow up study. Independent predictors of outcome identified by multiple logistic regression. SETTING Tertiary referral centre. PATIENTS 269 consecutive patients treated at the median age of 8 months (0-23 years): 80 (30%) under 4 weeks, 59 (22%) between 4 weeks and 1...

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a granulomatous vasculitis of medium and large arteries, which most often presents as pulseless disease due to widespread arterial stenoses. Only the minority of TA patients have aortic valve insufficiency, which is due to aortic root dilatation following aortitis and aneurysm formation. No other cardiac valve is involved. We report a case of Takayasu's disease-rela...

EPIDEMIOLOGY Predisposing factors for infective endocarditis are cardiac abnormalities that disrupt the endocardium by means of a jet injury, as well as the presence of blood-borne microorganisms that colonize these abnormal surfaces. Congenitally bicuspid aortic valve is the most common predisposing lesion for endocarditis of the aortic valve. In addition, congenital abnormalities of the aorti...

OBJECTIVE To assess the midterm follow-up of reduction aortoplasty with external wrapping associated with aortic valve replacement in high risk patients. METHODS Six patients with ascending aortic aneurysm and aortic valve disease were included in this study. Four of them were male. The age ranged from 61 to 70 years (mean 65.7 years). One patient presented severe mitral valve insufficiency. ...

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...

The treatment of aortic root and ascending aortic aneurysms often requires addressing concomitant aortic valve pathology. In the setting of aortic stenosis secondary to cusp degeneration, aortic valve replacement (AVR) is performed. However, when patients present with aortic insufficiency and normal cusp anatomy, a dilemma arises. Historically valve replacement has been performed; however, curr...

A 57 year old white man with aortic insufficiency and previously undiagnosed ankylosing spondylitis, who developed subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE), is described. Emergency aortic valve replacement was necessary, and the aortic valve pathology showed diffusely fibrosed and thickened valve leaflets with bacterial vegetations. This is the first recorded case of SBE in ankylosing spondylitis.

BACKGROUND In many cardiac units, aortic valve-sparing operations have become the preferred surgical procedure to treat aortic root aneurysm in patients with Marfan syndrome, based on relatively short-term outcomes. OBJECTIVES This study examined the long-term outcomes of aortic valve-sparing operations in patients with Marfan syndrome. METHODS All patients with Marfan syndrome operated on ...

BACKGROUND Reimplantation of the native, structurally intact aortic valve within a Dacron tube graft in patients with aortic root aneurysms corrects annular ectasia and dilatation of the sinotubular junction. The durability of this valve repair with respect to the increased mechanical stress on valve cusps has been discussed, is quite controversial, and is yet unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Fro...

Fig. 2. (A) With anulo-aortic ectasia and severe aortic insufficiency, pulmonary artery valve displasia and severe insufficiency, pulmonary artery ectasia, the patient underwent a surgical intervention. Ascending aorta (Ao) and pulmonary artery trunk (PA) were exposed by median sternotomy. (B) Ascending aorta aneurysm and aortic valve were replaced with bioprosthesis and Dacron conduit. Pulmona...