[New technique of concomitant replacement of the aortic valve and the ascending aorta with enlargement of the aortic annulus for congenital bicuspid aortic valve].

ABSTRACT

Congenital bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases, with a high incidence of associated valvular lesions and aortic abnormalities including aortic stenosis( AS), aortic regurgitation, aortic dilatation, and aortic dissection. Patients with BAV and AS often have a small aortic annulus. We encountered a case of BAV in which a 51-year-old woman with severe AS having a small aortic annulus and a dilated ascending aorta required surgical intervention. We performed the surgery using new technique that involved concomitant replacement of the aortic valve and the ascending aorta with enlargement of the aortic annulus using a single uniquely-shaped graft to avoid prosthesis patient mismatch. We trimmed the proximal end of the straight graft in shape of 2 teardrops hanging on it to fit the cut annulus. It requires only a single suture line to replace the ascending aorta and enlarge the aortic annulus, which entails a decreased risk of bleeding during surgery. We believe that it could be applicable to many cases requiring concomitant surgery.