Factors impacting long-term pulmonary autograft durability after the Ross procedure

Although the Ross procedure provides excellent long-term survival and a high quality of life, its use has been limited to relatively few centers. In this study, we evaluated long-term Ross procedure results in adults to assess the predictors of pulmonary autograft durability.

Between 1998 and 2015, 793 consecutive adult patients underwent the Ross procedure. The total root replacement technique was used in all patients.

The early mortality rate was 2.9%. The mean follow-up duration was 6.5 ± 3.2 years, and the 10-year survival rate was 90.4%. Longitudinal mixed-effects ordinal regression identified a combination of bicuspid aortic valve and aortic insufficiency (odds ratio, 2.19; P < .001) as predictors for progression of autograft valve insufficiency at follow-up. The cumulative incidence of autograft reoperations at 10 years was 8.6%. Competing risk regression identified bicuspid aortic valve insufficiency as the independent predictor of autograft reoperation (subdistribution hazard ratio, 2.16; P = .030). Moreover, patients with bicuspid aortic valve and aortic insufficiency had greater increases in annulus (P < .001), sinus (P < .001), and ascending aorta (P < .001) diameters over time.

For patients undergoing the Ross procedure, a combination of bicuspid aortic valves and aortic insufficiency is the main risk factor for late autograft dilatation and dysfunction.