Shunsuke Miyahara1, Takanori Oka2, Hiroaki Takahashi1, Takeshi Inoue1, Masamichi Matsumori1, Hiroshi Tanaka1, Yutaka Okita3. 1. Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. 2. Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Japan. 3. Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. Electronic address: yokita@med.kobe-u.ac.jp.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We describe a simple method to assess the aortic valve using a videoscope inserted in the left ventricle (LV-VS) during valve-sparing root replacement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of this technique by comparing it with the findings of postoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). METHODS: Thirty-six patients (29 male, mean age 45.4 ± 20.1 years) undergoing aortic root reimplantation were assessed intraoperatively with LV-VS. The LV-VS was inserted from the right upper pulmonary vein into the left ventricle and set toward the aortic valve. After completion of graft implantation, inspection was performed with LV-VS by pressurizing the neo-sinus before attachment of coronary arteries. Valve competency evaluated by LV-VS was compared with postoperative TEE findings, according to the group of cusp morphologies. Group 1 included 26 patients with tricuspid aortic valve, and group 2 included 9 patients with bicuspid aortic valve and 1 quadricuspid aortic valve. RESULTS: The grade of aortic regurgitation (AR) improved from 2.9 ± 1.6 preoperatively to 0.33 ± 0.6 postoperatively (P < .001 vs preoperatively). In 4 patients, LV-VS was used only before repair. In group 1, intraoperative LV-VS showed a competent valve in 20 and an incompetent valve in 3 patients, and postoperative TEE showed non/trivial AR in 15, mild AR in 5, and mild-to-moderate AR in 3 patients. In group 2, 9 patients achieved a competent valve on intraoperative LV-VS and non/trivial AR on postoperative TEE. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative direct inspection with LV-VS is a feasible method for confirming the completion of cusp repair.
OBJECTIVE: We describe a simple method to assess the aortic valve using a videoscope inserted in the left ventricle (LV-VS) during valve-sparing root replacement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of this technique by comparing it with the findings of postoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). METHODS: Thirty-six patients (29 male, mean age 45.4 ± 20.1 years) undergoing aortic root reimplantation were assessed intraoperatively with LV-VS. The LV-VS was inserted from the right upper pulmonary vein into the left ventricle and set toward the aortic valve. After completion of graft implantation, inspection was performed with LV-VS by pressurizing the neo-sinus before attachment of coronary arteries. Valve competency evaluated by LV-VS was compared with postoperative TEE findings, according to the group of cusp morphologies. Group 1 included 26 patients with tricuspid aortic valve, and group 2 included 9 patients with bicuspid aortic valve and 1 quadricuspid aortic valve. RESULTS: The grade of aortic regurgitation (AR) improved from 2.9 ± 1.6 preoperatively to 0.33 ± 0.6 postoperatively (P < .001 vs preoperatively). In 4 patients, LV-VS was used only before repair. In group 1, intraoperative LV-VS showed a competent valve in 20 and an incompetent valve in 3 patients, and postoperative TEE showed non/trivial AR in 15, mild AR in 5, and mild-to-moderate AR in 3 patients. In group 2, 9 patients achieved a competent valve on intraoperative LV-VS and non/trivial AR on postoperative TEE. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative direct inspection with LV-VS is a feasible method for confirming the completion of cusp repair.