An anatomical study of a new method for enlargement of narrowed aortic annulus: intra-arterial aorto-infundibuloplasty.

A new procedure "intraarterial aorto-infundibuloplasty" for the narrowed aortic annulus is described. Aortic valve replacement is performed through an aorto-pulmonary and infundibular septal incision which is eventually enlarged by a single patch, i.e., a two-dimensional patch instead of a three-dimensional patch as in Konno's procedure. An anatomical study showed that a prosthetic valve three sizes larger than the natural annular diameter could be implanted and the natural annular diameter was increased by as much as 42%.