A single-institution experience with the Ross operation over 11 years.
BACKGROUND
Although the Ross operation requires double-valve replacement for aortic valve pathology, it is the only autologous, aortic valve replacement available. We report a single-unit's 11-year experience.


METHODS
Before August 2006, 467 patients (mean age, 41 +/- 15 years; 358 males) underwent a Ross operation. The right ventricular outflow tract was repaired with a cryopreserved pulmonary homograft. Follow-up was 94.4% complete.


RESULTS
The 30-day mortality was 0.6%. The Kaplan-Meier survival estimate at 120 months was 94.4% +/- 2.9% (standard error [SE], 0.0146). Reoperation was due to autograft failure in 15 patients (7 repairs, 8 replacements), with a Kaplan-Meier freedom from autograft failure measured as reoperation or regurgitation exceeding grade II at 120 months of 94.2% +/- 2.8% (SE, 0.0142). Homograft replacement, mostly due to stenosis, occurred in 11 patients. Freedom from homograft dysfunction, defined as homograft reoperation or peak homograft gradient of 30 mm Hg or more, at 120 months was 79.3% +/- 7.3% (SE, 0.0372). Freedom from all autograft- and homograft-related reoperations at 120 months was 85.9% +/- 6.3% (SE, 0.0321). Autograft or homograft endocarditis occurred in 8 patients, and 1 patient had simultaneous endocarditis of both valves.


CONCLUSIONS
Patient survival and freedom from prostheses-related events over 11 years still compares favorably with conventional heart valve prostheses. Mortality and morbidity remain low. Reoperation for autograft or homograft failure is higher than our previous reports, and endocarditis is also evident, 1.9% (9 of 467). Homograft dysfunction is higher in younger recipients.
Böhm
Jürgen O
JO
Sana Cardiac Surgical Clinic, Stuttgart, Germany. joboehm@z.zgs.de
Hemmer
Wolfgang
W
Rein
Joachim-Gerd
JG
Horke
Alexander
A
Roser
Detlef
D
Blumenstock
Gunnar
G
Botha
Cornelius A
CA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult