Decoding Genetics, Ancestry, and Geospatial Context for Precision Health.

Mass General Brigham, an integrated healthcare system based in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, annually serves 1.5 million patients. We established the Mass General Brigham Biobank (MGBB), encompassing 142,238 participants, to unravel the intricate relationships among genomic profiles, environmental context, and disease manifestations within clinical practice. In this study, we highlight the impact of ancestral diversity in the MGBB by employing population genetics, geospatial assessment, and association analyses of rare and common genetic variants. The population structures captured by the genetics mirror the sequential immigration to the Greater Boston area throughout American history, highlighting communities tied to shared genetic and environmental factors. Our investigation underscores the potency of unbiased, large-scale analyses in a healthcare-affiliated biobank, elucidating the dynamic interplay across genetics, immigration, structural geospatial factors, and health outcomes in one of the earliest American sites of European colonization.

Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies risk loci for abdominal aortic aneurysm and highlights PCSK9 as a therapeutic target.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common disease with substantial heritability. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association meta-analysis from 14 discovery cohorts and uncovered 141 independent associations, including 97 previously unreported loci. A polygenic risk score derived from meta-analysis explained AAA risk beyond clinical risk factors. Genes at AAA risk loci indicate involvement of lipid metabolism, vascular development and remodeling, extracellular matrix dysregulation and inflammation as key mechanisms in AAA pathogenesis. These genes also indicate overlap between the development of AAA and other monogenic aortopathies, particularly via transforming growth factor ß signaling. Motivated by the strong evidence for the role of lipid metabolism in AAA, we used Mendelian randomization to establish the central role of nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol in AAA and identified the opportunity for repurposing of proprotein convertase, subtilisin/kexin-type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors. This was supported by a study demonstrating that PCSK9 loss of function prevented the development of AAA in a preclinical mouse model.

Sex-Specific Survival Bias and Interaction Modeling in Coronary Artery Disease Risk Prediction.

BACKGROUND: The 10-year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease risk score is the standard approach to predict risk of incident cardiovascular events, and recently, addition of coronary artery disease (CAD) polygenic scores has been evaluated. Although age and sex strongly predict the risk of CAD, their interaction with genetic risk prediction has not been systematically examined. This study performed an extensive evaluation of age and sex effects in genetic CAD risk prediction. METHODS: The population-based Norwegian HUNT2 (Trøndelag Health Study 2) cohort of 51 036 individuals was used as the primary dataset. Findings were replicated in the UK Biobank (372 410 individuals). Models for 10-year CAD risk were fitted using Cox proportional hazards, and Harrell concordance index, sensitivity, and specificity were compared. RESULTS: Inclusion of age and sex interactions of CAD polygenic score to the prediction models increased the C-index and sensitivity by accounting for nonadditive effects of CAD polygenic score and likely countering the observed survival bias in the baseline. The sensitivity for females was lower than males in all models including genetic information. We identified a total of 82.6% of incident CAD cases by using a 2-step approach: (1) Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease risk score (74.1%) and (2) the CAD polygenic score interaction model for those in low clinical risk (additional 8.5%). CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance and complexity of genetic risk in predicting CAD. There is a need for modeling age- and sex-interaction terms with polygenic scores to optimize detection of individuals at high risk, those who warrant preventive interventions. Sex-specific studies are needed to understand and estimate CAD risk with genetic information.

Gait speed is a preoperative indicator of postoperative events after elective proximal aortic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to evaluate whether 5-m gait speed, an established marker of frailty, is associated with postoperative events after elective proximal aortic surgery. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 435 patients aged more than 60 years who underwent elective proximal aortic surgery, defined as surgery on the aortic root, ascending aorta, or aortic arch through median sternotomy. Patients completed a 5-m gait speed test within 30 days before surgery. We evaluated the association between categoric (slow, ≤0.83 m/s and normal, >0.83 m/s) and continuous gait speed and the likelihood of experiencing the composite outcome before and after adjustment for European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II. The composite outcome included in-hospital mortality, renal failure, prolonged ventilation, and discharge location. Secondary outcomes were 1-year mortality and 5-year survival. RESULTS: Of the study population, 30.3% (132/435) were categorized as slow. Slow walkers were significantly more likely to have in-hospital mortality, prolonged ventilation, and renal failure, and were less likely to be discharged home (all P < .05). The composite outcome was 2 times more likely to occur for slow walkers (gait speed categoric adjusted odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-3.40; P = .004). Moreover, a unit (1 m/s) increase in gait speed (continuous) was associated with 73% lower risk of experiencing the composite outcome (odds ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.68; P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Slow gait speed is a preoperative indicator of risk for postoperative events after elective proximal aortic surgery. Gait speed may be an important tool to complement existing operative risk models, and its application may identify patients who may benefit from presurgical and postsurgical rehabilitation.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness After Open Repair for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection - A Prospective Study.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (as measured by peak oxygen consumption [VO2peak]) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Limited data exist on VO2peak following repair for an acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) or proximal thoracic aortic aneurysm (pTAA). This study prospectively evaluated VO2peak, functional capacity, and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) following open repair. Participants with a history of an ATAAD (n = 21) or pTAA (n = 43) performed cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX), 6-minute walk testing, and HR-QOL at 3 (early) and 15 (late) months following open repair. The median age at time of surgery was 55-years-old and 60-years-old in the ATAAD and pTAA groups, respectively. Body mass index significantly increased between early and late timepoints for both ATAAD (p = 0.0245, 56% obese) and pTAA groups (p = 0.0045, 54% obese). VO2peak modestly increased by 0.8 mLO2·kg-1·min-1 within the ATAAD group (p = 0.2312) while VO2peak significantly increased by 2.2 mLO2·kg-1·min-1 within the pTAA group (p = 0.0003). Anxiety significantly decreased in the ATAAD group whereas functional capacity and HR-QOL metrics (social roles and activities, physical function) significantly improved in the pTAA group (p values < 0.05). There were no serious adverse events during CPX. Cardiorespiratory fitness among the ATAAD group remained 36% below predicted normative values >1 year after repair. CPX should be considered post-operatively to evaluate exercise tolerance and blood pressure response to determine whether mild-to-moderate aerobic exercise should be recommended to reduce future risk of morbidity and mortality.

Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative: Powering genetic discovery across human disease.

Biobanks facilitate genome-wide association studies (GWASs), which have mapped genomic loci across a range of human diseases and traits. However, most biobanks are primarily composed of individuals of European ancestry. We introduce the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative (GBMI)-a collaborative network of 23 biobanks from 4 continents representing more than 2.2 million consented individuals with genetic data linked to electronic health records. GBMI meta-analyzes summary statistics from GWASs generated using harmonized genotypes and phenotypes from member biobanks for 14 exemplar diseases and endpoints. This strategy validates that GWASs conducted in diverse biobanks can be integrated despite heterogeneity in case definitions, recruitment strategies, and baseline characteristics. This collaborative effort improves GWAS power for diseases, benefits understudied diseases, and improves risk prediction while also enabling the nomination of disease genes and drug candidates by incorporating gene and protein expression data and providing insight into the underlying biology of human diseases and traits.

Regulatory variants in TCF7L2 are associated with thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is characterized by dilation of the aortic root or ascending/descending aorta. TAA is a heritable disease that can be potentially life threatening. While 10%-20% of TAA cases are caused by rare, pathogenic variants in single genes, the origin of the majority of TAA cases remains unknown. A previous study implicated common variants in FBN1 with TAA disease risk. Here, we report a genome-wide scan of 1,351 TAA-affected individuals and 18,295 control individuals from the Cardiovascular Health Improvement Project and Michigan Genomics Initiative at the University of Michigan. We identified a genome-wide significant association with TAA for variants within the third intron of TCF7L2 following replication with meta-analysis of four additional independent cohorts. Common variants in this locus are the strongest known genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Although evidence indicates the presence of different causal variants for TAA and type 2 diabetes at this locus, we observed an opposite direction of effect. The genetic association for TAA colocalizes with an aortic eQTL of TCF7L2, suggesting a functional relationship. These analyses predict an association of higher expression of TCF7L2 with TAA disease risk. In vitro, we show that upregulation of TCF7L2 is associated with BCL2 repression promoting vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis, a key driver of TAA disease.

Translating genetic association of lipid levels for biological and clinical application.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review focuses on the foundational evidence from the last two decades of lipid genetics research and describes the current status of data-driven approaches for transethnic GWAS, fine-mapping, transcriptome informed fine-mapping, and disease prediction. RECENT FINDINGS: Current lipid genetics research aims to understand the association mechanisms and clinical relevance of lipid loci as well as to capture population specific associations found in global ancestries. Recent genome-wide trans-ethnic association meta-analyses have identified 118 novel lipid loci reaching genome-wide significance. Gene-based burden tests of whole exome sequencing data have identified three genes-PCSK9, LDLR, and APOB-with significant rare variant burden associated with familial dyslipidemia. Transcriptome-wide association studies discovered five previously unreported lipid-associated loci. Additionally, the predictive power of genome-wide genetic risk scores amalgamating the polygenic determinants of lipid levels can potentially be used to increase the accuracy of coronary artery disease prediction. CONCLUSIONS: Lipids are one of the most successful group of traits in the era of genome-wide genetic discovery for identification of novel loci and plausible drug targets. However, a substantial fraction of lipid trait heritability remains unexplained. Further analysis of diverse ancestries and state of the art methods for association locus refinement could potentially reveal some of this missing heritability and increase the clinical application of the genomic association results.

Exposure and risk factors for COVID-19 and the impact of staying home on Michigan residents.

COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on clinical care and lifestyles globally. The State of Michigan reports over 80,000 positive COVID-19 tests between March 1, 2020 and July 29, 2020. We surveyed 8,041 Michigan Medicine biorepository participants in late June 2020. We found that 55% of COVID-19 cases reported no known exposure to family members or to someone outside the house diagnosed with COVID-19. A significantly higher rate of COVID-19 cases were employed as essential workers (45% vs 19%, p = 9x10-12). COVID-19 cases reporting a fever were more likely to require hospitalization (categorized as severe; OR = 4.4 [95% CI: 1.6-12.5, p = 0.005]) whereas respondents reporting rhinorrhea was less likely to require hospitalization (categorized as mild-to-moderate; OR = 0.16 [95% CI: 0.04-0.73, p = 0.018]). African-Americans reported higher rates of being diagnosed with COVID-19 (OR = 4.0 [95% CI: 2.2-7.2, p = 5x10-6]), as well as higher rates of exposure to family or someone outside the household diagnosed with COVID-19, an annual household income < $40,000, living in rental housing, and chronic diseases. During the Executive Order in Michigan, African Americans, women, and the lowest income group reported worsening health behaviors and higher overall concern for the potential detrimental effects of the pandemic. The higher risk of contracting COVID-19 observed among African Americans may be due to the increased rates of working as essential employees, lower socioeconomic status, and exposure to known positive cases. Continued efforts should focus on COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies, as well as address the inequality gaps that result in higher risks for both short-term and long-term health outcomes.

Aortic progression and reintervention in patients with pathogenic variants after a thoracic aortic dissection.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate aortic disease progression and reintervention after an initial thoracic aortic dissection in pathogenic variant carriers. METHODS: Of 175 participants diagnosed with thoracic aortic dissection, 31 had a pathogenic variant (pathogenic group) across 6 genes (COL3A1, FBN1, LOX, PRKG1, SMAD3, TGFBR2) identified by whole exome sequencing. Those with benign or normal variants (benign/normal group, n = 144) comprised the control group. Clinical data were collected through medical record review (1985-2018) and supplemented with the National Death Index database (December 2018). RESULTS: The entire cohort (n = 175) consisted of 108 type A aortic dissections and 67 type B aortic dissections, similarly distributed between groups. The pathogenic group was significantly younger (43 vs 56 years, P < .0001) and had significantly more aortic root replacements and similar extents of arch replacement at initial type A aortic dissection repair. The median follow-up time was 7.5 (4.6-12) years. After initial treatment, the pathogenic group required significantly more aortic reinterventions (median 1 vs 0, P < .0001) and mean cumulative aortic reinterventions for each patient (10 years: 1 vs 0.5, P = .029). Both incidence rate (12%/year vs 1.2%/year, P = .0001) and cumulative incidence of reinterventions (9 years: 70% vs 6%, P < .0001) for the preserved native aortic root were significantly higher in the pathogenic group, but were similar for the preserved native aortic arch and distal aorta between groups. Ten-year survival was similar in the pathogenic and benign/normal groups (92% vs 85%). CONCLUSIONS: Aggressive aortic root replacement and similar arch management should be considered in pathogenic variant carriers at initial type A aortic dissection repair compared with benign/normal variant carriers.

Loss-of-function genomic variants highlight potential therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disease.

Pharmaceutical drugs targeting dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may increase the risk of fatty liver disease and other metabolic disorders. To identify potential novel CVD drug targets without these adverse effects, we perform genome-wide analyses of participants in the HUNT Study in Norway (n = 69,479) to search for protein-altering variants with beneficial impact on quantitative blood traits related to cardiovascular disease, but without detrimental impact on liver function. We identify 76 (11 previously unreported) presumed causal protein-altering variants associated with one or more CVD- or liver-related blood traits. Nine of the variants are predicted to result in loss-of-function of the protein. This includes ZNF529:p.K405X, which is associated with decreased low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (P = 1.3 × 10-8) without being associated with liver enzymes or non-fasting blood glucose. Silencing of ZNF529 in human hepatoma cells results in upregulation of LDL receptor and increased LDL uptake in the cells. This suggests that inhibition of ZNF529 or its gene product should be prioritized as a novel candidate drug target for treating dyslipidemia and associated CVD.

Genetic mutations associated with susceptibility to perioperative complications in a longitudinal biorepository with integrated genomic and electronic health records.

BACKGROUND: Existing genetic information can be leveraged to identify patients with susceptibilities to conditions that might impact their perioperative care, but clinicians generally have limited exposure and are not trained to contextualise this information. We identified patients with genetic susceptibilities to anaesthetic complications using a perioperative biorepository and characterised the concordance with existing diagnoses. METHODS: Adult patients undergoing surgery within Michigan Medicine from 2012 to 2017 were consented for genotyping. Genotypes were integrated with the electronic health record (EHR). We retrospectively characterised frequencies of variants associated with butyrylcholinesterase deficiency, factor V Leiden, and malignant hyperthermia, three pharmacogenetic factors with perioperative implications. We calculated the percentage homozygous and heterozygous for each that had been diagnosed previously and searched for EHR findings consistent with a predisposition. RESULTS: Analysis of genetic data revealed that 25 out of 40 769 (0.1%) patients were homozygous and 1918 (4.7%) were heterozygous for mutations associated with butyrylcholinesterase deficiency. Of the homozygous individuals, 14 (56%) carried a pre-existing diagnosis. For factor V Leiden, 29 (0.1%) were homozygous and 2153 (5.3%) heterozygous. Of the homozygous individuals, three (10%) were diagnosed by EHR-derived phenotype and six (21%) by clinician review. Malignant hyperthermia was assessed in a subset of patients. We detected two patients with associated mutations. Neither carried clinical diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: We identified patients with genetic susceptibility to perioperative complications using an open source script designed for clinician use. We validated this application in a retrospective analysis for three conditions with well-characterised inheritance, and showed that not all genetic susceptibilities were documented in the EHR.

GWAS of thyroid stimulating hormone highlights pleiotropic effects and inverse association with thyroid cancer.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is critical for normal development and metabolism. To better understand the genetic contribution to TSH levels, we conduct a GWAS meta-analysis at 22.4 million genetic markers in up to 119,715 individuals and identify 74 genome-wide significant loci for TSH, of which 28 are previously unreported. Functional experiments show that the thyroglobulin protein-altering variants P118L and G67S impact thyroglobulin secretion. Phenome-wide association analysis in the UK Biobank demonstrates the pleiotropic effects of TSH-associated variants and a polygenic score for higher TSH levels is associated with a reduced risk of thyroid cancer in the UK Biobank and three other independent studies. Two-sample Mendelian randomization using TSH index variants as instrumental variables suggests a protective effect of higher TSH levels (indicating lower thyroid function) on risk of thyroid cancer and goiter. Our findings highlight the pleiotropic effects of TSH-associated variants on thyroid function and growth of malignant and benign thyroid tumors.

Use of a Polygenic Risk Score Improves Prediction of Myocardial Injury After Non-Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: While postoperative myocardial injury remains a major driver of morbidity and mortality, the ability to accurately identify patients at risk remains limited despite decades of clinical research. The role of genetic information in predicting myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) remains unknown and requires large scale electronic health record and genomic data sets. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study of adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, we defined MINS as new troponin elevation within 30 days following surgery. To determine the incremental value of polygenic risk score (PRS) for coronary artery disease, we added the score to 3 models of MINS risk: revised cardiac risk index, a model comprised entirely of preoperative variables, and a model with combined preoperative plus intraoperative variables. We assessed performance without and with PRSs via area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and net reclassification index. RESULTS: Among 90 053 procedures across 40 498 genotyped individuals, we observed 429 cases with MINS (0.5%). PRS for coronary artery disease was independently associated with MINS for each multivariable model created (odds ratio=1.12 [95% CI, 1.02-1.24], P=0.023 in the revised cardiac risk index-based model; odds ratio, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.07-1.31], P=0.001 in the preoperative model; and odds ratio, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.06-1.30], P=0.003 in the preoperative plus intraoperative model). The addition of clinical risk factors improved model discrimination. When PRS was included with preoperative and preoperative plus intraoperative models, up to 3.6% of procedures were shifted into a new outcome classification. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a PRS does not significantly improve discrimination but remains independently associated with MINS and improves goodness of fit. As genetic analysis becomes more common, clinicians will have an opportunity to use polygenic risk to predict perioperative complications. Further studies are necessary to determine if PRSs can inform MINS surveillance.

A Novel Variant in APOB Gene Causes Extremely Low LDL-C Without Known Adverse Effects.

A novel frameshift variant was identified in APOB that segregates in a dominant manner with low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Affected family members show no apparent clinical complications. There is no consensus regarding clinical management, and the long-term consequences of low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol remain unknown. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Following Open Repair for a Proximal Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm or Dissection.

PURPOSE: There are limited data on cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), following open repair for a proximal thoracic aortic aneurysm or dissection. The aim was to evaluate serious adverse events, abnormal CPX event rate, CRF (peak oxygen uptake, (Equation is included in full-text article.)O2peak), and blood pressure. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively identified from cardiac rehabilitation participation or prospectively enrolled in a research study and grouped by phenotype: (1) bicuspid aortic valve/thoracic aortic aneurysm, (2) tricuspid aortic valve/thoracic aortic aneurysm, and (3) acute type A aortic dissection. RESULTS: Patients (n = 128) completed a CPX a median of 2.9 mo (interquartile range: 1.8, 3.5) following repair. No serious adverse events were reported, although 3 abnormal exercise tests (2% event rate) were observed. Eighty-one percent of CPX studies were considered peak effort (defined as respiratory exchange ratio of ≥1.05). Median measured (Equation is included in full-text article.)O2peak was <36% predicted normative values (19.2 mL·kgmin vs 29.3 mLkgmin, P < .0001); the most marked impairment in (Equation is included in full-text article.)O2peak was observed in the acute type A aortic dissection group (<40% normative values), which was significantly different from other groups (P < .05). Peak exercise systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 160 mm Hg (144, 172) and 70 mm Hg (62, 80), with no differences noted between groups. CONCLUSIONS: We observed no serious adverse events with an abnormal CPX event rate of only 2% 3 mo following repair for a proximal thoracic aortic aneurysm or dissection. (Equation is included in full-text article.)O2peak was reduced among all patient groups, especially the acute type A aortic dissection group, which may be clinically significant, given the well-established prognostic importance of reduced cardiorespiratory fitness.

Clinical Implications of Identifying Pathogenic Variants in Individuals With Thoracic Aortic Dissection.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic aortic dissection is an emergent life-threatening condition. Routine screening for genetic variants causing thoracic aortic dissection is not currently performed for patients or family members. METHODS: We performed whole exome sequencing of 240 patients with thoracic aortic dissection (n=235) or rupture (n=5) and 258 controls matched for age, sex, and ancestry. Blinded to case-control status, we annotated variants in 11 genes for pathogenicity. RESULTS: Twenty-four pathogenic variants in 6 genes (COL3A1, FBN1, LOX, PRKG1, SMAD3, and TGFBR2) were identified in 26 individuals, representing 10.8% of aortic cases and 0% of controls. Among dissection cases, we compared those with pathogenic variants to those without and found that pathogenic variant carriers had significantly earlier onset of dissection (41 versus 57 years), higher rates of root aneurysm (54% versus 30%), less hypertension (15% versus 57%), lower rates of smoking (19% versus 45%), and greater incidence of aortic disease in family members. Multivariable logistic regression showed that pathogenic variant carrier status was significantly associated with age <50 (odds ratio [OR], 5.5; 95% CI, 1.6-19.7), no history of hypertension (OR, 5.6; 95% CI, 1.4-22.3), and family history of aortic disease (mother: OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 1.4-22.3, siblings: OR, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.1-23.9, children: OR, 6.0; 95% CI, 1.4-26.7). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical genetic testing of known hereditary thoracic aortic dissection genes should be considered in patients with a thoracic aortic dissection, followed by cascade screening of family members, especially in patients with age-of-onset <50 years, family history of thoracic aortic disease, and no history of hypertension.

Sex-specific and pleiotropic effects underlying kidney function identified from GWAS meta-analysis.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing health burden currently affecting 10-15% of adults worldwide. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as a marker of kidney function is commonly used to diagnose CKD. We analyze eGFR data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study and Michigan Genomics Initiative and perform a GWAS meta-analysis with public summary statistics, more than doubling the sample size of previous meta-analyses. We identify 147 loci (53 novel) associated with eGFR, including genes involved in transcriptional regulation, kidney development, cellular signaling, metabolism, and solute transport. Additionally, sex-stratified analysis identifies one locus with more significant effects in women than men. Using genetic risk scores constructed from these eGFR meta-analysis results, we show that associated variants are generally predictive of CKD with only modest improvements in detection compared with other known clinical risk factors. Collectively, these results yield additional insight into the genetic factors underlying kidney function and progression to CKD.

Short- and long-term outcomes of aortic root repair and replacement in patients undergoing acute type A aortic dissection repair: Twenty-year experience.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to evaluate the perioperative and long-term outcomes of aortic root repair and aortic root replacement and provide evidence for root management in acute type A aortic dissection. METHODS: From 1996 to 2017, 491 patients underwent aortic root repair (n = 307) or aortic root replacement (n = 184) (62% bioprosthesis) for acute type A aortic dissection. Indications for aortic root replacement were intimal tear at the aortic root, root measuring 4.5 cm or more, connective tissue disease, or unrepairable aortic valvulopathy. Primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, long-term survival, and reoperation rate for root pathology. RESULTS: Patients' median age was 61 years and 56 years in the aortic root repair group and aortic root replacement group, respectively. The aortic root replacement group had more renal failure requiring dialysis, previous cardiac intervention or surgery, heart failure, coronary malperfusion syndrome, acute myocardial infarction, and severe aortic insufficiency, as well as concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting, tricuspid valve repair, and longer cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic crossclamp times but similar arch procedures. Perioperative outcomes were similar in the aortic root repair and aortic root replacement groups, including in-hospital mortality (8.5% and 8.2%), new-onset renal failure requiring permanent dialysis, stroke, myocardial infarction, and sepsis. Kaplan-Meier 10-year survival was 62% and 65%, and the 15-year cumulative incidence of reoperation was 11% and 7% in the aortic root repair and aortic root replacement groups, respectively. The primary indication for root reoperation was aortic root aneurysm in the aortic root repair group and bioprosthetic valve deterioration in the aortic root replacement group. CONCLUSIONS: Aortic root repair and aortic root replacement are appropriate surgical options for acute type A aortic dissection repair with favorable short- and long-term outcomes. Aortic root replacement should be performed for patients with acute type A aortic dissection presenting with an intimal tear at the aortic root, root aneurysm 4.5 cm or greater, connective tissue disease, or unrepairable aortic valvulopathy.