Aortic Valve Repair and Replacement

Treatment options to repair or replace the valve of your body’s main artery

If medication and lifestyle changes aren’t enough to manage a problem with your aortic valve, your doctor may recommend repairing or replacing it. The surgeons in our Structural Heart Program are international leaders in continually developing better strategies to repair and replace aortic valves.

Along with traditional open surgical techniques, we offer five minimally invasive aortic valve replacement methods, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We have been a site for every major clinical trial for this procedure since its initial 2007 study.

We also offer a relatively new technique known as valve sparing or valve preserving surgery for aortic root aneurysms. With this procedure, your surgeon can repair the aorta while preserving your own valve.

Our doctors meet daily to discuss and analyze all patients’ conditions based on the severity of their disease, age and overall health to determine the best treatment approach for their unique condition.

Aortic valve repair

Whenever possible, we prefer to repair the valve because it uses your own tissue, carries a lower risk of infection and reduces the need to take blood-thinning medications for the rest of your life as you would with some types of valve replacement.

Valve repair may be able to patch a hole in the valve’s flaps or reshape the flaps to allow the valve to open and close more effectively. Aortic valve repair is usually performed through traditional open-heart surgery and requires specific expertise, which you can find here.

Aortic valve replacement

If the damage to your aortic valve is severe and cannot be repaired, your doctor may recommend replacing it with one of two options:

• Biological valves: These valves may be made from cow or pig tissue and supported with mechanical parts. Biological valves can last 15 to 20 years and do not require that you take blood-thinning medications. These valves often are recommended for elderly patients.
• Mechanical valves: These valves may be made of plastic, carbon or metal and will require blood thinners to reduce the risk of stroke. These valves often are recommended for young adults because they last longer than a biological replacement.

Aortic valve replacement can be done through traditional open-heart surgery or through minimally invasive methods that:

• Use a few small incisions instead of opening your chest
• Access the heart by guiding a thin, flexible tube known as a catheter through a blood vessel in your leg

Conditions

Tests