title: Twenty years experience of surgical aortic valvotomy for critical aortic stenosis in early infancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine early and long-term results of surgical aortic valvotomy in neonates and infants aged less than 3 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review of all 34 neonates (n=26) and young infants (n=8) aged 1-62 days undergoing primary open valvotomy for aortic valve stenosis between 1983 and 2003 was carried out. Associated major cardiac anomalies were endocardial fibroelastasis (n=8), aortic coarctation (n=3), subvalvular aortic stenosis (n=2), and ventricular septal defect (n=1). Risk factors for early mortality were estimated. Current information was available for 31 patients for a follow-up of 115+/-67 months. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate freedom from reintervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two neonates died early: operative mortality of 6% (2/34). Risk factors for early mortality were associated endocardial fibroelastosis, monocuspid aortic valve and impaired left ventricular function. No patient died late. Seven patients needed reintervention for re-aortic stenosis (n=5) or aortic insufficiency (n=2), i.e., re-valvotomy (n=3), valve replacement (n=2), Ross procedure (n=1), and balloon valvuloplasty (n=1). Freedom from reintervention was 85.1+/-6.9%, 78.0+/-9.35%, and 53.5+/-15.9% at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary surgical aortic valvotomy in early infancy carries a low early and late mortality, a low occurrence of significant aortic regurgitation and a low early recurrence of aortic stenosis. In great majority of cases, reintervention can be delayed to allow implantation of an adult-sized prosthesis, when required.
authors.affiliation: German Pediatric Heart Institute ("Deutsches Kinderherzzentrum"), Asklepios Klinik, Arnold-Janssen-Strasse, 29 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Nicodème
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sinzobahamvya
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wetter
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kallenberg
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brecher
authors.forename: Boulos
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asfour
authors.forename: Andreas E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Urban
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation; D016896:Treatment Outcome