Aortic valve replacement with patch enlargement of the aortic annulus.
BACKGROUND
Aortic annulus enlargement has long been advocated for the placement of valve prostheses larger than otherwise would have been possible. Little information exists, however, on the short- and long-term outcome of this surgical procedure.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective review of 530 patients enrolled in a registry for patients who underwent aortic valve replacement using the Hancock II bioprosthesis and were followed up prospectively over the course of 11 years at a single institution. In an effort to avoid prosthetic valve-patient mismatch, the aortic annulus was enlarged in 98 patients (18%). Short- and long-term outcome was analyzed.


RESULTS
Enlargement of the aortic annulus during aortic valve replacement increased the operative mortality rate from 3.5% to 7.1%, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.10). The long-term survival of patients who had annulus enlargement was similar to that of patients who did not. Because there were differences in the clinical profile of patients who had annulus enlargement and those who did not, a case-control study was carried out. This study showed similar long-term survival, freedom from valve-related and cardiac death, and combined end points in the two groups of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Aortic annulus enlargement increased the operative mortality of aortic valve replacement. However, patients who underwent enlargement of a small aortic annulus had long-term survival and freedom from cardiac and valve-related death comparable to those of patients who received larger aortic prostheses.
Sommers
K E
KE
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Toronto Hospital and the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
David
T E
TE
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001705:Bioprosthesis / Q000401:mortality; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002417:Cattle; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000637:transplantation; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous