The Ross Procedure: A Rekindled Relationship

Abstract

Over the last few years, there has been renewed interest in aortic valve replacement with a living pulmonary autograft. The reason is simple: studies have shown that long-term survival after the Ross procedure mirrors that of the general population,1 results that have not yet been achieved with prosthetic aortic valves. During the preceding decades, we also identified mechanisms of failure, such as autograft root, annular, or sinotubular junction dilation, as well as cusp prolapse. These conditions can occur in isolation or in combination.