Introduction ◆ Degenerative mitral valve disease, also called mitral valve prolapse or floppy mitral valve syndrome , is caused by myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve tissue, whereby elastin and collagen bundles are disrupted, and proteoglycan deposition in the spongiosa…
◆ The Ross procedure replaces the diseased aortic valve with a viable pulmonary autograft and uses an appropriate conduit (e.g., a cryopreserved pulmonary homograft) to reconstruct the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). ◆ As initially described, the autograft was placed…
◆ Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a relatively new technique that has been clinically applied mostly in higher risk older patients in the past 10 years. Major differences in comparison to conventional aortic valve replacement (AVR) are as follows:…
Step 1 Pathogenesis, Pathology, and Microbiology of Left-Sided Infective Endocarditis ◆ Infective endocarditis (IE) is the most severe and devastating complication of heart valve disease, whether it is native valve endocarditis (NVE), prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE), or infection on another…
◆ In 1968, Bentall and De Bono described a technique for composite aortic valve and root replacement with reimplantation of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries were sewn to the graft as a side-to-side anastomosis, and the aneurysm wall was…
Step 1 Surgical Anatomy of the Aortic Root ◆ The aortic root is the anatomic segment between the left ventricle and ascending aorta. From the surgical viewpoint, it consists of the aortic annulus (AA), aortic cusps, aortic sinuses, and sinotubular…
Step 1 Introductory Considerations ◆ Aortic valve repair (AVr) has been shown to have a lower rate of valve-related complications compared to aortic valve replacement (AVR). ◆ It is especially beneficial for those in the younger age group due to…
Introduction ◆ Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is one of the most commonly performed operations in cardiac surgery. It is not only effective in alleviating symptoms in patients suffering from aortic valve disease, but also improves survival. However, in patients with…
Step 1 Introductory Considerations ◆ Minimally invasive valve surgery has numerous benefits compared with a standard median sternotomy. These benefits include reduced surgical trauma, blood loss, transfusion requirements, and reoperations for bleeding. Ventilation times and intensive care unit and hospital…
Introductory Considerations Step 1 Surgical Anatomy ◆ The aortic valve is the last valve in the heart through which the blood is pumped before it goes to the body. The purpose of the aortic valve is to prevent backflow of…