Twenty-eight patients who underwent aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafts (group A) were compared, with respect to clinical presentation, operative mortality and morbidity and follow-up clinical status, with 40 patients who had normal coronary arteriograms and underwent aortic valve replacement only (group B). Groups A and B had a similar incidence of angina pectoris, cardi...

BACKGROUND Quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) is a rare congenital cardiac defect. This study sought to determine QAV frequency in a large echocardiography database, to characterize associated cardiovascular abnormalities, and to describe long-term outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS Fifty patients (mean ± SD age, 43.5 ± 21.8 years at the time of the index diagnosis; female sex, 52%) received a diagno...

In the modern era, the morbidity and mortality of aortic valve surgeries has been markedly reduced. These improvement have been seen in: 1) aortic valve replacement or repair; 2) aortic root replacement or valve-sparing operations; 3) surgery on aortic dissections complicated by aortic regurgitation; and 4) recently introduced transcatheter aortic valve implantations. However, the goal of consi...

splenomegaly-induced thrombocytopenia is fully described in hematological and surgical literature, but its association with severe aortic stenosis is rare. we present a case of severe aortic valve stenosis with severe splenomegaly-induced thrombocytopenia in which aortic valve replacement was done with a number 23 homograft and splenectomy was performed after the end of cardiopulmonary bypass. ...

Four cases of patients with aortic incompetence secondary to rheumatoid arthritis are presented. All survived aortic surgery (two having bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement and two a homograft aortic root replacement). A review of the pathophysiology and pathology of this rare cause of aortic regurgitation is presented. A rationale for the choice of aortic valve prosthesis is discussed.

Twenty-one patients (age four to 25 years) with bicuspid aortic valves proved by surgery and angiography (12) or angiography alone (9) were studied by echocardiography. Seventeen patients had aortic valve disease (11 stenosis, 6 incompetence) and four had coarctation of the aorta with normally functioning aortic valves. A comparison group of 16 patients (9 with aortic valve disease and 7 withou...

The comprehensive aortic root and valve reconstruction (CARVAR) technique comprises two main procedures, which are aortic root reduction using prosthetic rings and neo-leaflet reconstruction using a pericardial patch. Although concerns about durability of the pericardial neo-leaflet have been raised in the CARVAR technique, complications related to leaflet reconstruction have not been reported ...

Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is a common surgical intervention for symptomatic aortic stenosis. For many high-risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, AVR is not an option. Aortic valve bypass (AVB), a less common surgical procedure compared to AVR surgery, can bypass a stenotic aortic valve in lieu of replacing it and can offer surgical intervention for candidates unable to und...

Quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare variant of aortic semilunar valve, often being an unexpected discovery during cardiac surgery. We present the case of a 59 years old patient, who was admitted for dyspnea on light exertion and palpitations. The transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe aortic valve regurgitation due to a quadricuspid aortic valve, the result being confirmed by the transe...

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology primarily affecting the aorta and its major branches and usually occurring in the second or third decade of life. Here, we report a case of Takayasu arteritis in a 10-month-old patient. The infant presented with signs of congestive heart failure and severe aortic regurgitation. Echocardiography and computed tomography angi...