Aortic valve neocuspidization (the Ozaki procedure).

Aortic valve neocuspidization with fixed autologous pericardium according to the Ozaki technique has been proven to be an effective therapy for the treatment of aortic valvulopathies of various entities (aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, aortic valve endocarditis) in both tricuspid and bicuspid aortic valves. Thus, aortic valve neocuspidization with fixed autologous pericardium represents a versatile alternative to complex aortic valve repair, with better hemodynamics compared to biological aortic valve replacement and without the need for lifelong anticoagulation, which characterizes mechanical aortic valve replacement. The authors meticulously describe all the technical steps of this highly reproducible, standardized procedure.

Congenital heart disease risk loci identified by genome-wide association study in European patients.

Genetic factors undoubtedly affect the development of congenital heart disease (CHD) but still remain ill defined. We sought to identify genetic risk factors associated with CHD and to accomplish a functional analysis of SNP-carrying genes. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 4034 White patients with CHD and 8486 healthy controls. One SNP on chromosome 5q22.2 reached genome-wide significance across all CHD phenotypes and was also indicative for septal defects. One region on chromosome 20p12.1 pointing to the MACROD2 locus identified 4 highly significant SNPs in patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA). Three highly significant risk variants on chromosome 17q21.32 within the GOSR2 locus were detected in patients with anomalies of thoracic arteries and veins (ATAV). Genetic variants associated with ATAV are suggested to influence the expression of WNT3, and the variant rs870142 related to septal defects is proposed to influence the expression of MSX1. We analyzed the expression of all 4 genes during cardiac differentiation of human and murine induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro and by single-cell RNA-Seq analyses of developing murine and human hearts. Our data show that MACROD2, GOSR2, WNT3, and MSX1 play an essential functional role in heart development at the embryonic and newborn stages.

Aortic pseudoaneurysm repair after Bentall procedure using the IntraClude device.

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in surgical techniques, aortic reoperation is still associated with a high risk of mortality due to possible injury of the myocardium or great vessels during resternotomy. MATERIALS & METHODS: We report the case of a giant aortic pseudoaneurysm, 17 years after the Bentall procedure in a 76-year-old male patient. RESULTS: Successful pseudoaneurysm resection after the Bentall procedure using the ThruPort IntraClude intra-aortic occlusion device (Edwards Lifesciences) was achieved. DISCUSSION: The IntraClude catheter can be used effectively to provide endovascular clamping of the ascending aorta during challenging cardiac reoperations.