Journal of Korean medical science
Annular Enlargement: Can It Be Effective for Patients With a Small Left Ventricular Outflow Tract?
By Park SJ, Kim K, Kim HR and 6 others.
Abstract
Background
Aortic annular enlargement (AAE) has been suggested as a surgical technique to facilitate the implantation of a larger prosthetic valve in patients with a small aortic annulus. We investigated the differences in clinical and echocardiographic parameters between patient undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) with and without AAE, focusing on the impact of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) geometry.
Methods
A total of 899 patients (age, 65.5 ± 9.6 years; 414 female) who underwent AVR from 1996 to 2023 were evaluated. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and the trends in echocardiographic parameters, analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. The secondary outcomes included early complications and valve-related adverse events comprising stroke, congestive heart failure, reoperation and infective endocarditis. Propensity score matching was employed for baseline adjustment.