[Indications and results of aortic valve repair]

With the development of prosthetic valves with excellent hemodynamics and durability, aortic valve replacement has become the first choice in the surgical treatment of valve disease. The significant improvement in mortality rates after open-heart surgery has resulted in a demand not only for good hemodynamics but also for a better postoperative quality of life. Because mechanical prosthetic valves are associated with postoperative complications and patients receiving them must remain on anticoagulant therapy for life, and bioprosthetic valves are not sufficiently durable, valve repair techniques are being reevaluated and new ones developed. The indications for valve repair have been extended in mitral valve disease due to the decreased incidence of rheumatic valve disease and increase in degenerative tissue valve disease. Reports indicate that both acute and long-term postoperative results are superior after valve repair compared with valve replacement. Similarly, although some reports on the results of aortic valve repair indicate that the standard techniques do not yield satisfactory long-term results, others suggest that newer techniques may improve the results in both the acute and long-term, chronic phase.