Eight years clinical experience with the replacement of the ascending aorta using composite xenopericardial conduit.

OBJECTIVE: The evaluation of early and late results after ascending aorta replacement with composite glutaraldehyde-treated xenopericardial valved conduit. METHODS: From December 1989 to May 1999 the ascending aorta was replaced with 148 composite xenopericardial conduits aorta in 145 patients. Biological valves were inserted in 28 conduits, mechanical valves - in 116. The age of 40 female (28%) and 105 male (72%) patients ranged from 10 to 60 years (mean, 38.7+/-12 years). The original diseases were: atherosclerosis in 51 (35%), cystic media necrosis in 50 (35%), Marfan syndrome in 35 (24%), syphilis in three (2%), non-specific aortitis in one (0.7%), Turner syndrome in one and infective endocarditis in four cases. Aortic dissection was found in 67 patients (46%): type I in 14 (23%) and type II in 53 (77%). Twenty-one patients (15%) were operated on during the acute phase of the dissection. The Bentall-DeBono technique was used in 144 operations, in four cases (2.7%) supracoronary resection was performed. Associated procedures included: mitral valve repair (five), CABG (four), resection of the coarctation (two), MV replacement (two). Biological tissues condition was assessed using TTE TEE and computed tomography (CT) scanning technique. RESULTS: Hospital mortality was 8.3 % (12 patients). The death was caused by: low cardiac output (three), arrhythmia (two), neurological complications (one), sepsis (one), polyorgan failure (four), bleeding (one). Non-lethal complications included: bleeding (four), heart failure (two), persisting A-V block (two), polyorgan failure (three), cerebral (two), mediastinitis (three), and early prosthetic endocarditis in three patients. All three patients with endocarditis were successfully re-operated and conduit replaced with the same type of the device. Late follow-up ranged from 2 months to 8 years (mean, 51 months) and complete in 87% of the discharged patients (115 patients). There were four valve-related deaths due to thrombembolia and five deaths non related to the valve and/or conduit. Clinical and instrumental evaluation did not reveal any signs of tissue degeneration at the conduit and biovalves' cusps. CONCLUSIONS: The xenopericardial valved conduit is an effective and acceptable device for the replacement of ascending aorta in almost all cases, it provides good early and late results. It's pliability and elasticity are especially attractive in situations with frail tissues and high risk of bleeding.

[Unsolved problems of the surgical treatment of dissecting aneurysms of the ascending aorta (analysis of complications)]. / Nereshennye voprosy khirurgicheskogo lecheniia rasslaivaiushchikh anevrizm voskhodiashchei aorty (analiz oslozhnennii).

It is shown that various complications occurring after surgical treatment of dissecting aneurysms of the ascending aorta with or without aortic insufficiency depend mainly on the methods of correction applied and the etiology of the disease. As the result of the study the authors conclude that the Bentall-De Bono and Cabroe's operations are radical methods for surgical management of dissecting aneurysms of the ascending aorta irrespective of the etiology of the disease. Wide introduction of these operative methods into the clinical practice led to an essential decrease of hospital mortality and the frequency of complications in the immediate and late-term postoperative period.

[Surgical tactics in dissecting aneurysms of the ascending aorta]. / Khirurgicheskaia taktika pri rasslaivaiushchikh anevrizmakh voskhodiashchei aorty.

The aspects of surgical tactics in management of dissecting aneurysms of the ascending aorta are analysed in relation to the disease etiology, the anatomical pattern of the aortic root, presence of attending aortic insufficiency, and dissection extension. Based on the experience of 32 operations (March 1979--February 1988), it is concluded that the abnormal type must be the best criterion for choosing the surgical technique. In dissecting aneurysms due to aortic wall degeneration, Bentall-De Bono and Cabrol's modifications are preferable. In dissecting aneurysms of atherosclerotic origin, the boundary of the proximal extension of dissection should be taken into account. When the dissection extends into the aortic root, the operation using a valve-containing conduit with reimplantation of the ostia of the coronary arteries is feasible. If the aortic root is not involved, isolated prosthesis of the ascending aorta or separate prosthesis of the aortic valve and ascending aorta may be performed depending on the presence of aortic failure.

Surgical treatment of dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta: immediate and late results.

The authors describe experience gained with surgical treatment of dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta in the period from 1978 to 1987. 30 patients were operated on using the techniques proposed by Bentall, De Bono and Carbrol. All patients exhibited the presence of annulo-aortic ectasia. Hospital mortality in the past four years was 20%. On the basis of an analysis of immediate and late results the authors come to the conclusion that Bentall's, De Bono's and Cabrol's technique is the method of choice for surgical corrections of annulo-aortic ectasia and Marfan's syndrome.

[Long-term results of the surgical treatment of aneurysm of the ascending aorta in combination with aortic valve insufficiency]. / Otdalennye rezul'taty khirurgicheskogo lecheniia anevrizm voskhodiashchego otdela aorty s sochetanii s nedostatochnost'iu aortal'nogo klapana.

Four of 28 patients who were operated on died in late-term periods, four from advancing cardiac failure and one died 5 years after an operation from cardiac tamponade. In the group of four patients one underwent Cabrol's operation, three were operated on by the Bentall-De Bono method. The condition of 25 patients considerably improved and they were related to the II and I functional classes. The result was poor in three patients due to initial severity of the process in one, dilatation of the arch of the aorta in another, the presence of a fistula in the distal anastomosis in the third. One patient treated by Cabrol's operation and another who was operated on by the Bentall-De Bono method had pseudoaneurysms in the orifices of the coronary arteries. Despite some complications which occurred in the late postoperative periods, the Cabrol and Bentall-De Bono operations are the most radical means today for surgical treatment of aneurysms of the ascending aorta.

[Surgical treatment of aneurysm of the ascending aorta in Marfan syndrome]. / Khirurgicheskoe lechenie anevrizmy voskhodiashchei aorty pri sindrome Marfana.

An experience with 26 operations for aneurysms of the ascending aorta with a concomitant insufficiency of the aorta valve in Marfan syndrome is described. We started using operations after Bentall-De Bono in 1979 and operations after Cabrol in 1983 which were used in cases with low localization of openings of the coronary arteries in relation to the fibrous ring of the aorta valve, as well as in cases with the dissecting aorta wall, especially involving the area of the openings. These operations allowed the intrahospital lethality to be reduced: in the period of 1979-86 it made up 30% (6 patients died out of 20), in 1983-86 it was 15.4%, in 1986 it was 12.5%.

[Immediate results of the surgical treatment of aneurysms of the ascending aorta associated with aortic insufficiency]. / Neposredstvennye rezul'taty khirurgicheskogo lecheniia anevrizm voskhodiaschei aorty s soputstvuiushchei aortal'noi nedostatochnost'iu.

Experience with surgical treatment of ascending-artery aneurysms with concomitant aortic insufficiency is summed up. Forty-four patients were operated on, 30 of those having dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta. There were 6 operations where coronary arterial openings were isolated and stitched into a valve-containing conduit and 8 supracoronary resections with prosthetic aortic valve implantation. Hospital mortality rate was 78.6%. Thirty patients underwent Bentall-De Bono operation or Cabrol's operation. Hospital mortality was 26.6%. As surgical techniques and corrective methods improved, hospital mortality could be considerably reduced (to 7.7%).