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Valvular changes after aortic valve neo-cuspidization in children: A case series
Fumio Watanabe1, Kiyotaka Go2, Taiki Kojima1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Aichi Children's Health and Medical Center, Obu-City, Aichi, Japan.
Aortic valve neo-cuspidization in children often shows spontaneous improvement in aortic regurgitation post-surgery. However, one case developed aortic stenosis, indicating a need for further study of pediatric AVNeo outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
- Aortic Valve Repair
- Echocardiography
Background:
- Aortic valve neo-cuspidization (AVNeo) using autologous pericardium is increasingly performed in pediatric patients.
- Postoperative morphological changes in pediatric AVNeo patients, specifically regarding aortic regurgitation (AR) and aortic stenosis (AS), are not well-documented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the intraoperative and postoperative morphological changes and severity of AR and AS following AVNeo in children.
- To evaluate changes in AR and AS from the perioperative period to 3 months post-AVNeo in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A case series involving pediatric patients (<18 years) who underwent AVNeo between April 2016 and March 2020.
- Morphological changes in AR and AS were assessed using intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (io-TEE) and postoperative transthoracic echocardiography (po-TTE) at 3 months.
Main Results:
- Seven pediatric patients were included.
- A trend towards decreased AR sites and AR jet area relative to left ventricular outflow tract area was observed between io-TEE and po-TTE.
- All AR sites showed integration postoperatively; one patient developed persistent intraoperative AS.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric AVNeo generally demonstrates spontaneous improvement in AR, with complete integration of AR sites in most cases.
- A single case of postoperative AS highlights the potential for developing stenosis after AVNeo.
- Further prospective studies are warranted to fully understand the long-term surgical outcomes of AVNeo in the pediatric population.
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