Comparison of different surgical techniques in 112 consecutive patients with aortic root operations: when should the valve be spared?

Background And Aim Of The Study: The benefit of valve-sparing aortic root replacement compared to conventional aortic root replacement surgery remains unclear.

Methods: Between February 2009 and November 2010, a total of 112 patients underwent aortic root surgery at the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Heinrich-Heine-University, Dusseldorf, Germany. The valve-sparing technique was used when leaflets were grossly normal.