Single leaflet reconstruction in paediatric aortic regurgitation using the Ozaki procedure

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
• Aortic Valve Repair
• Congenital Heart Disease

Background:

• Aortic valve repair in pediatric patients presents significant surgical challenges.
• Aortic regurgitation in children requires effective treatment strategies to prevent long-term complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the surgical outcomes of the Ozaki procedure for single leaflet reconstruction in children with aortic regurgitation.
• To assess the efficacy and safety of this aortic valve repair technique in a pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of nine pediatric patients undergoing single leaflet reconstruction via the Ozaki procedure.
• Surgical intervention utilized glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardium.
• Statistical comparison of pre-operative and post-operative data using paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed rank tests.

Main Results:

• The median age at surgery was 4.7 years, with most patients presenting severe aortic regurgitation and left ventricular enlargement (average z-score 3.8).
• No post-operative deaths or re-interventions occurred during a median follow-up of 22 months.
• A significant reduction in left ventricular z-score to -0.2 was observed, with only one patient experiencing moderate or greater aortic regurgitation post-operatively.

Conclusions:

• Single leaflet reconstruction using the Ozaki procedure is an effective surgical option for pediatric aortic regurgitation.
• The procedure demonstrated satisfactory short-term results in this cohort, improving aortic valve function and ventricular remodeling.