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Updated: May 14, 2026
Standardized Technique of Aortic Valve Re-implantation for Valve-sparing Aortic Root Replacement
Published on: December 11, 2017
A simple method of aortic valve reconstruction with fixed pericardium in children
Amir-Reza Hosseinpour1, Antonio González-Calle, Alejandro Adsuar-Gómez
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Virgen del Rocio of Seville, Seville, Spain. reza@hosseinpour.net
Insights
A novel aortic valve reconstruction technique using fixed pericardium offers a viable solution for pediatric patients with complex aortic valve disease. This method provides good early results in challenging cases where other surgical options are limited.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Biomaterials in Medicine
Background:
- Congenital and acquired aortic valve disease in children presents unique surgical challenges.
- Standard repair techniques may be insufficient due to valve dysmorphia, small annular size, or associated congenital anomalies.
- The Ross operation might be precluded by concurrent cardiac malformations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a simplified alternative method for aortic valve reconstruction in pediatric patients.
- To evaluate the early efficacy of this technique in a small cohort of children.
Main Methods:
- Aortic valve reconstruction utilizing fixed pericardium as an adjunct material.
- Surgical intervention performed on three pediatric patients with aortic valve disease.
- Detailed description of the surgical technique emphasizing its simplicity and precision.
Main Results:
- Successful application of the described technique in three patients aged 1 week, 3 years, and 12 years.
- Good early clinical outcomes were observed in all treated patients.
- The method proved effective in cases unsuitable for simple repair or prosthetic implantation.
Conclusions:
- Fixed pericardium aortic valve reconstruction represents a technically manageable and effective alternative for pediatric aortic valve disease.
- This approach expands treatment options for children with complex valve pathology and associated anomalies.
- The described method shows promise for achieving favorable early results in challenging pediatric cardiac surgery cases.
Abstract:
Aortic valve reconstruction with fixed pericardium may occasionally be very useful when treating children with aortic valve disease. This is because diseased aortic valves in children are sometimes too dysmorphic for simple repair without the addition of material, their annulus may be too small for a prosthesis, and the Ross operation may be precluded due to other congenital anomalies such as pulmonary valvar or coronary malformations. Such reconstruction is usually technically demanding and requires much precision. We describe a simple alternative method, which we have carried out in 3 patients, aged 1 week, 3 years and 12 years, respectively, with good early results.
