Endoscopic evaluation technique using a camera port for valve-sparing root reconstruction

Intraoperative aortic valve evaluation should be accurate in valve-sparing root replacement to minimize postoperative aortic valve regurgitation. Ascending aorta de-clamping and weaning of cardiopulmonary bypass are required in intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography. Aortic valve endoscopy aids in the magnification of structures and enables image sharing within the operative team. While a rigid endoscope and saline infusion line are directly inserted from the Valsalva graft end, a Kelly clamp is needed for graft gap closure, affecting the valve morphology due to graft deformation. The accurate inner pressure of the neo-Valsalva sinus cannot be measured in this method. We propose a technique to accurately evaluate aortic valve conformation using a balloon blunt-tip system that enables aortic valve evaluation under the measured pressure and without Valsalva graft deformation.