Aortic valve reconstructive surgery
The Heart and Vascular Center is a leader in cardiac surgery for aortic valve reconstruction and offers an advanced surgical procedure that uses a patient’s own tissue to create a new aortic valve.
The aortic valve is one of four heart valves which allow blood to flow forward and close to prevent blood from flowing backward. The aortic valve controls the flow of blood as it leaves the main pumping chamber of the heart (the left ventricle) and is pumped into the aorta and the rest of the body. A valve may need repair or replacement if there is narrowing (stenosis) of the valve opening or leakage (regurgitation), causing blood to flow backward, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood forward efficiently.
Aortic valve reconstruction with AVNeo
We offer an advanced procedure called aortic valve neocuspidization (AVNeo™, also known as Ozaki procedure). The diseased aortic valve is removed and a new valve is made from the patient’s own pericardial tissue. During this process, the new leaflets are individually measured for the patient and prepared using the AVNeo™ system. The three new leaflets are then connected with sutures to the patient’s preserved aortic valve ring.
Benefits of the reconstructed heart valve include improved blood flow compared to conventional artificial heart valves and unlikely need for a permanent pacemaker. This procedure is especially suited for patients with either aortic valve stenosis or regurgitation under age 60 who do not want a prosthesis valve made from synthetic materials. This procedure also relieves most patients from having to take blood-thinner medication (anti-coagulant).
Inclusive of aortic valve replacement, Yale New Haven Hospital performs the highest volume of surgical valve replacement in Connecticut. Other aortic valve replacement procedures include traditional surgical aortic valve replacement, which uses an artificial valve for patients with severe aortic stenosis, or
transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
AVNeo and Ozaki AvNeo represent registered or unregistered trademarks of the Japanese Organization for Medical Device Development, Inc.
