Rosemary's Posts

I had a very similar situation. My bicuspid AV was functioning , but my aneurysm was 4.8 cm. Due to my petite size, I was encouraged to get it done. (Apparently, there is a formula to determine how your aneurysm relates to your body size.) At that time, there seemed to be no question in my surgeons mind that the valve would be replaced at that same time. This was fine with me. So, last March I got the aortic root. valve, and ascending aorta replaced. I am 63 and went with a tissue valve. I know many surgeons say wait till 5-5.5 cm, but you must factor in body size. Hope that helps...

Marie is exactly right. I'm posting a couple of links below that may help you. As to your aortic valve, I was given to understand that if your valve could be expected to need replacing within five years, they would go ahead and replace it during the aorta surgery. So it does depend on the condition of your valve. Also, I found surgeons to be far, far more knowledgeable about aortic aneurysms than cardiologists. Seeing another surgeon who performs many aortic surgeries may help solidify things for you. In this instance, it can really help to find the best-qualified, most experienced doctor possible. https://www.valleyheartandvascular.com/Thoracic-Aneurysm-Program/Calculate-Your-Relative-Aortic-Size.aspx https://www.valleyheartandvascular.com/Thoracic-Aneurysm-Program/Risk-Stratification.aspx

My situation very similar to all above. The first surgeon I saw said that he would only replace the valve if needed (but asked me what I wanted), the second one said that the current valve would not last as long as a replacement, so they would go ahead and replace while fixing the aneurysm. I did question it again (if it's not broken - why fix - but stenosis is considered broken (even when asymptomatic and not severe, apparently)). They stressed again that it would not last as long as even a tissue replacement valve (additional web searches seemed to support that), so...

Hi Rosemary, I also had a very similar situation. I was diagnosed with a BAV as a child and had only begun regularly following up with a cardiologist at the end of 2013 after experiencing some episodes of irregular and rapid heartbeat. At that time, I was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and underwent an ablation to remove an extra-accessory path in my heart. In the summer of 2016, I was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm measuring 4.9 cm. The first surgeon I saw wanted to repair the aneurysm but not replace my valve as like yours, my valve showed only mild stenosis and moderate regurgitation. I sought a 2nd opinion and the surgeon wanted to repair my aneurysm and replace the valve as he felt it would be better to do in 1 surgery and I would eventually need it done. Both said I was borderline for needing the aneurysm repair as the guidelines are 5.5 cm but when you have any underlying heart condition, it is only 5 cm. Also being a smaller woman, I would be a candidate for surgery. As Marie said, they go by height and weight as well as the size of the aneurysm. I then sent my records to the Cleveland Clinic. I had testing there in May which showed the aneurysm and valve essentially unchanged. The surgeon there recommended I have surgery for both the aneurysm and the valve. He said he would try to repair the valve but if he could not, he would replace it with a bovine tissue valve. Following surgery, I was informed that my aneurysm measured 5.2 cm and my valve was unicuspid with severe calcification therefore, it could not be repaired and had to be replaced. I have learned that they can only see so much with non-invasive testing as both my aneurysm and my valve were worse than what the testing showed. The surgeon informed my husband that this surgery was definitely needed as my condition was much worse than originally thought.