Value of the electrocardiogram in detecting left ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with aortic regurgitation

Aortic insufficiency: Indications for surgery in children

The goals of surgery in children with chronic aortic insufficiency are to prevent irreversible left ventricular dysfunction and to provide for long-term survival. In the past, surgical options included placement of a mechanical valve, a porcine bioprosthesis, or an aortic valve homograft. Complications from these options include thromboembolism, prosthetic valve endocarditis, limited durability, and lack of growth potential. The increasing utilization of the Ross procedure to treat chronic aortic insufficiency has led to new interest in the question of when to operate on a regurgitant aortic valve. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of aortic insufficiency and the invasive and noninvasive preoperative indices that may indicate the optimal time for aortic valve surgery in the pediatric population. Copyright 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company