Aortic annuloplasty with internal geometric ring; single-center midterm outcomes

Surgical aortic valve replacement has been the mainstay of treatment against severe aortic insufficiency despite the high incidence of prosthesis-related complications and better long-term outcomes following aortic valve repair. Annuloplasty and leaflet reconstruction are the integral parts of the procedure. Safety and efficacy of HAART internal annuloplasty ring are hereby investigated through mid-term outcomes of a single referral center.

Forty-three consecutive patients with either trileaflet or bicuspid aortic insufficiency along with ascending aorta and/or aortic root enlargement were included. Annular stabilization via the internal ring implantation was attempted, whereas leaflet repair was performed whenever required.

Maximum follow-up was 6.3 years, whereas the mean was 2.7 years. Mean age was 54.2 years. At least moderate aortic insufficiency was noted in 69.8% (30/43) of patients, whereas 93% (40/43) of them had an ascending aorta or aortic root over 45 mm. Overall mortality was 2.3% (1/43). No more than mild aortic insufficiency was detected early postoperatively. At the last follow-up, there were 2 cases of ring-related adverse events who were reoperated for aortic valve replacement (4.7%). Mid-term outcomes revealed no more than mild aortic insufficiency, while aortic diameter was less than 50 mm in the vast majority of the patients. New York Heart Association class was also significantly lower compared to preoperatively, although moderate aortic stenosis was present in 16% of our cohort.

Geometric ring annuloplasty is an easily reproducible valve-sparing approach. Midterm results, revealing 2.3% mortality and 95.3% freedom from reoperation, are promising, but long-term outcomes are yet to be discovered.