Aortic Valve Repair

Abstract

Aortic valve repair has emerged as a feasible and attractive alternative to aortic valve replacement in patients with aortic root aneurysms and aortic valve insufficiency that have good tissue quality of aortic valve leaflets. The traditional treatment for these patients was prosthetic valve replacement which carries cumulative risk of valve-related complications, including reoperation, bleeding, thromboembolism and endocarditis. The understanding of the functional aortic valve annulus and its interaction with the cusp function has led to development of the current aortic valve repair techniques. These techniques allow for restoration of valve function for both tricuspid and bicuspid aortic valves with equal success. Therefore, patients now have an alternative to surgical prostheses that integrates durability with low risk of thromboembolism, bleeding, and endocarditis in this subset of aortic valve disease.