Dissection of the ascending aorta after aortic valve replacement

Three patients who underwent aortic valve replacement had dissection of the ascending aorta 7 months, 2 years and 15 years after surgery. This is a rare complication of aortic valve replacement (11 reported cases). Its incidence estimated from the literature would appear to be less than 1% of all aortic valve replacements. It occurs in both cases of stenosis and regurgitation (4 aortic regurgitations, 2 aortic stenosis, 5 mixed aortic valve disease) and is seen in ball and cage (7 cases), tilting disc (3 cases) and bioprosthesis (1 case). Six of these patients had hypertension. The role of the initial surgery for valve replacement in secondary aortic dissection is discussed. Aortic clamping and cannulation can cause immediate dissection but may also damage the aortic wall, leading to the risk of secondary dissection. An aneurysm of the ascending aorta was observed in 5 Cases at surgery; in 3 cases, the aorta was dilated without true aneurysm; in 3 other cases the aorta was considered to be macroscopically normal. The integrity aorta is sometimes difficult to confirm and a macroscopically normal of the aorta may have fragile aortic walls, especially in cases of aortic regurgitation due to valvular dysplasia and forms frustres of Marfan's syndrome, and are associated with a risk of secondary dissection. The appearances of the aorta at aortic valve replacement influence the choice of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)