AV Repair

[Anxious mum]

I would add two things. First, whether its a homograph or any other type of tissue valve, the value itself is not living tissue. It is dead tissue specially treated to not degrade. Therefore, a homograph lasts the same time frames generally as other tissue values because it is not "alive" and will degrade over time. As for valve repair, repair jobs done on otherwise normal aortic valves at the time of surgery to repair an asending aortic aneurysm has a pretty good track record so far. However, a Bicuspid Aortic Valve is another matter completely. These are very difficult to repair. I know that Dr. David in Toronto has been doing repairs, with sime success, but this is fairly cutting edge stuff. If you take that route, understand that there is a risk of resurgery.

Hi
My son had an AV repair at age 13. He is now 18 and needs a replacement, and still hasn't made a decision re which procedure to have. His surgeon recommends a mechanical valve, but we a re thinking the a tissue option would be better. I am interested in finding out from readers who have had the Ross procedure what their experience has been, particularly those of similar age to my son.

We live in North Queensland, Australia and my son's surgeon operates in the Prince Charles hospital in Brisbane. Are there any Australian experiences out there?

In anticipation
Anxious Mum

 

[Ross]

Anxious Mum I'm moving this to a thread of it's own so that you'll get more attention to your post.

Ross

 

[surfsparky]

Hi!

Hi!

Hi Anxious mum,
Welcome to this site..hopefully you'll find all the answers you need. We didn't find this site until after we made our choice and had the surgery, it really it such a great site for information and support. My husband Chris had his surgery last year... he opted for the Ross Procedure with Mr. Peter Skillington. Peter Skillington is the best Ross Procedure surgeon in Australia and has performed more of this operations than any other surgeon. This isn't to say that there are not any other good surgeons that can do the Ross, but it would be a good idea to ask your surgeon how many he has performed. Chris has had some stenosis on his pulmonary homograft but this is very rare, and he still says that he is glad that he chose the Ross. Chris is an electrician and a keen surfer, and felt that the Ross Procedure would be best for him. Another close friend of ours who is a member of this site had the Ross procedure earlier this year and is happy with his choice also. It is a very personal choice as to what type of valve replacement to choose but feel free to ask as many questions from everyone here as you like to equip yourself and your son to make your own decision. I would suggest that you start your thread as you may receive more replies. If you have any other questions, ask any time, we are all here for you.
Yolanda (Chris' wife)