A fetus was diagnosed with regurgitation from the aorta into the left ventricle. A large aortico-left ventricular tunnel with aortic atresia was identified postnatally by echocardiography in a neonate suffering from severe heart failure. We successfully reconstructed the valve and closed the tunnel with a patch on his first day of life. At three-month follow-up, the baby is asymptomatic with mi...

From 1986 to 1988, balloon aortic valvuloplasty was performed in 32 patients with congenital valvular aortic stenosis. The patients ranged in age from 2 days to 28 years (mean +/- SD 8.3 +/- 5.9). One balloon was used in 17 patients and two balloons were used in 15 patients. Immediately after valvuloplasty, peak systolic pressure gradient across the aortic valve decreased significantly from 77 ...

For patients with aortic valve (AV) disease, the classic treatment has been AV replacement and this remains true for aortic stenosis. In contrast, repair of isolated aortic insufficiency (AI), with or without aortic root pathology, is emerging as a feasible and attractive option to replacement. The AV is one of the elements of the aortic root. As such, AI can develop if one or more elements of ...

BACKGROUND Proposed advantages to the Ross procedure included presumed increased freedom from reoperation and simpler reoperation for pulmonary conduit replacement if needed. It is increasingly apparent, however, that reoperations are frequent after the Ross procedure and that when required, they may be more complex than previously thought. METHODS AND RESULTS Between September 1991 and Augus...

BACKGROUND Chronic aortic regurgitation can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. For more than a century, numerous eponymous signs of aortic regurgitation have been described in textbooks and the literature. PURPOSE To compare current textbook content with the peer-reviewed literature on the eponymous signs of aortic regurgitation and to assess the role of these signs in clinical prac...

OBJECTIVE To assess immediate clinical and echocardiographic results of the use of cryopreserved aortic homografts for aortic valve replacement. METHODS Eighteen patients with aortic valve disease underwent aortic valve replacement, receiving a cryopreserved aortic homograft, 15 were male, 10 had aortic regurgitation, and 8 had aortic stenosis. Age ranged from 18 to 65 years (mean, 44.5 +/- 1...

Thirty four patients with aortic regurgitation were studied by continuous wave Doppler ultrasound. In 30 of these the regurgitation was graded by cineangiography as mild, moderate, or severe and in four severe regurgitation was confirmed at operation. The half times of the aortoventricular pressure differences obtained with Doppler compared well with those obtained from pressure recordings at c...

Aortic regurgitation (AR) is characterized by diastolic reflux of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle (LV). Acute AR typically causes severe pulmonary edema and hypotension and is a surgical emergency. Chronic severe AR causes combined LV volume and pressure overload. It is accompanied by systolic hypertension and wide pulse pressure, which account for peripheral physical findings, suc...

BACKGROUND Although the aortic valve-sparing procedure has gained popularity in recent years, it still remains challenging in patients with advanced aortic regurgitation (AR). We compared the long-term outcomes of the aortic valve-sparing procedure with the Bentall operation in patients with advanced aortic regurgitation secondary to aortic root dilatation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospecti...

BACKGROUND Quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare congenital heart defect. Several different anatomical variations of a quadricuspid aortic valve has been described and aortic regurgitation is the predominant valvular dysfunction associated with quadricuspid aortic valve. CASE PRESENTATION A 68-year-old woman presented with almost a years history of increasing dyspnoea on exertion. The patient h...