{"id":4503,"date":"2024-06-05T13:41:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T13:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=4503"},"modified":"2024-06-06T14:10:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T14:10:45","slug":"valve-sparing-aortic-root-replacement-bicuspid","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/valve-sparing-aortic-root-replacement-bicuspid\/","title":{"rendered":"Surgeon Q&A: “What About Valve-Sparing Aortic Root Replacement for Bicuspid Aortic Valves?” asks Sandra"},"content":{"rendered":"

A normal aortic valve has three leaflets, or flaps, that open to pump blood out of the heart when it contracts and close tightly when it relaxes. However, nearly two percent of the population have a bicuspid aortic valve<\/a> with only two leaflets. A bicuspid valve is often asymptomatic early in life and only found by a physician who hears a murmur when listening to the heart or during a test to diagnose another condition.<\/p>\n

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Although many people live a normal life without the valve causing any problems, nearly 50% will require aortic valve surgery within 25 years of diagnosis, according to the Journal of the American Heart Association<\/a>. The most common reason for surgery is the formation of an aortic root aneurysm<\/a>, a stretching out and enlargement where the aorta meets the aortic valve.\u00a0 Once an aneurysm forms, it must be monitored and managed closely because it tends to get larger over time.<\/p>\n

Once the aortic root aneurysm reaches 5 to 5.5 centimeters in diameter, surgeons require surgical repair or replacement since there is a risk of the area rupturing, which is a life-threatening situation.<\/p>\n

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We received a great question about this from Sandra, who is experiencing this exact problem. She asks, \u201cI have a bicuspid aortic valve with aortic regurgitation and aneurysm. I\u2019ve been told I need a replacement, but I\u2019m learning about valve-sparing techniques on your website. Is valve-sparing the same as an aortic valve repair, and what are the outcomes of valve-sparing procedures?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Dr.<\/a>Dr. Joanna Chikwe<\/a><\/p>\n

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To answer Sandra’s question, I was thrilled to connect with Dr. Joanna Chikwe in her office at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Chikwe is the Founding Chair of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai and a great resource for detailed answers to patient questions.\u00a0 During her extraordinary career, Dr. Chikwe has performed thousands of heart valve operations and has successfully treated many patients in our community.<\/p>\n

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