Valve-sparing aortic root replacement - MUSC is the only medical center in the Lowcountry that offers this procedure.
- A candidate for this procedure typically has an aneurism but sometimes has aortic dissection.
- A diseased aorta often has a normal valve that can be saved in 40 percent of aortic root replacement procedures.
- During the procedure, all the aortic tissue is resected, but the valve is left intact.
- Next, a Dacron root graft shaped to fit the native valve is positioned around the valve and sutured to it for a tight seal.
- Finally, the two coronary arteries are re-implanted into the valve conduit.
Advantages - Saves the native tissue and repairs the valve instead of replacing it
- Less complicated than valve replacement surgery
- Helps avoid the use of long-term anticoagulant medication required with mechanical heart valves
- May reduce the risk of stroke or endocarditis
“This is an operation that has really come into its own in the past five years because we finally have 10-year data from experienced centers that show that it’s a really durable operation.”
— Dr. Ikonomidis |
While each of MUSC’s heart surgeons can perform any of the heart surgeries available at MUSC, each surgeon specializes in a particular area and performs the bulk of those procedures in order to develop more expertise and achieve better results. Dr. Ikonomidis has performed more than 50 valve-sparing aortic root replacement procedures since 2001 and specializes in aortic surgery at MUSC. | 
