The Ross Procedure: A Detailed Analysis of the Explanted Valves and the Polyester Reinforcement Prosthesis to Tentatively Explain Adverse Events
摘要
The Ross procedure has been acknowledged as the best surgical answer to treat young patients with aortic insufficiencies, based upon the capacity of the pulmonary autograft to grow when transplanted at the aortic site, the resistance to infection superior than prosthetic valves, the freedom from anticoagulation, and the absence of blood hemolysis. However, adverse events can necessitate re-operation. A revalved heart after a complex surgical re-intervention in a 19-year-old young man is hereby reported. The patient was treated aggressively with an external support at the sinotubular junction to prevent aortic root dilatation. The pulmonary valve was initially replaced by an aortic homograft. The patient was re-operated 2 years following the first operation. He passed away due to uncontrollable bleeding at the distal sinotubular junction. The autologous valve functionality was severely impaired showing a perforation in the middle of the left coronary leaflet. The homologous valve was severely aged alike. Collagen bundles in the autologous valve were undulated, and the filaments remained well individualized with regular banding, but they were blurry with noticeable loss of sharpness. This fatality highlights the necessity of continuous reassessment of any surgical procedure such as the Ross operation whose clinical success is well established.