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Published on: December 11, 2017
Aortic Valve Intervention During Aortic Root Surgery in Children: A Systematic Review
Maria Rodriguez1,2, Anahita Malvea2, Dayre McNally3
1Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, 27338Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Surgical management of pediatric aortic root dilatation is challenging. Valve-sparing aortic root surgery shows excellent survival up to one year, but long-term mortality and reintervention rates increase.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
Background:
- Pediatric aortic root dilatation is a critical condition lacking surgical management guidelines.
- Aortic valve interventions during aortic root surgery require further analysis for improved decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze data on aortic valve interventions during pediatric aortic root surgery.
- To guide surgical decision-making for this life-threatening condition.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, etc.).
- Inclusion of randomized controlled trials, cohorts, and case series from 1999-2019.
- Focus on pediatric patients (0-18 years) undergoing valve-sparing or valve-replacing aortic root surgery.
Main Results:
- Five observational studies involving 81 pediatric patients were identified.
- Valve-sparing procedures included reimplantation (74%) and remodeling (26%).
- No mortality reported up to one year; long-term mortality rate was 0.02/patient-year and reintervention rate was 0.08/patient-year.
Conclusions:
- Limited data exists on aortic valve intervention during pediatric aortic root surgery.
- Valve-sparing aortic root surgery demonstrates excellent short-term survival, with increased long-term mortality and reintervention rates.
- Small sample sizes and lack of controlled studies hinder direct comparison of surgical techniques.
Background:
Pediatric aortic root dilatation is a life-threatening condition that lacks guidelines for surgical management. We aimed to analyze the data on aortic valve interventions during root surgery to guide decision-making.
Methods:
A search was performed of MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO ICTRP. Citations were screened in duplicate and independently to identify randomized controlled trials, cohorts, and case series involving populations aged 0 to 18 years, who received valve-sparing and valve-replacing aortic root surgeries between 1999 and 2019. Outcomes considered included mortality (perioperative, one year, five year), reintervention rates.
Results:
After duplicate removal, 689 citations were screened through abstract and full text review, identifying five eligible studies. All five were observational studies evaluating valve-sparing procedures. There were 81 patients with a mean study age range of 9.9 to 13.9 years. Both reimplantation (74%) and remodeling (26%) subtypes were done. Range of mean duration of follow-up was 1.2 to 4.4 years. There was no mortality reported until the one-year follow-up period. The long-term mortality rate was calculated as 0.02 per patient-year (95% CI: 0.01-0.05). The long-term reintervention rate was 0.08 per patient-year (95% CI: 0.05-0.13).
Conclusions:
There is limited experience on aortic valve intervention during aortic root surgery in children. Single-arm studies on valve-sparing surgeries show excellent survival up to one year. Mortality and reintervention rates increase in the longer term. The small sample size and lack of controlled studies do not allow for direct comparisons between procedure types.
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