Diseases

Homograft Valve

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The durability of homograft valves is comparable to porcine and bovine tissue valves. Another procedure for aortic valve replacement is the Ross procedure (or pulmonary autograft). In a Ross procedure, the aortic valve is removed and replaced with the patient's own pulmonary valve.

Aortic valve replacement is a procedure in which a patient's failing aortic valve is replaced with an artificial heart valve. The aortic valve can be affected by a range of diseases; the valve can either become leaky (aortic insufficiency) or partially blocked (aortic stenosis). Current aortic valve replacement approaches include open heart surgery via a sternotomy, minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
Patients with severe aortic stenosis, where the aortic valve is narrowed and blood flow from the heart is obstructed are candidates for surgery when they develop symptoms or when the heart function is impacted. Certain asymptomatic patients may also be candidates for surgery, especially if exercise stress testing is positive.