Quality of life after aortic valve reimplantation by using a vascutek Valsalva graft

A study on comparative assessment of the quality of life in patients undergoing extravalvular repair of ascending aorta by using a Valsalva sinuses graft and a linear aortic prosthesis was conducted. Extravalvular repair of the aorta by using standard methods was done for 64 patients. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the type of prosthesis, group I included those who received prosthesis with artificial sinuses of Valsalva, while group II a linear prosthesis. The clinical profile of patients in the groups did not differ. The patients were examined at the hospital and at 3-year follow-up. Long-term quality of life was estimated by SF-36 questionnaire. Mean follow-up time was 36±4 months after surgery. The patients in both study groups showed a high level of quality of life after aortic valve reimplantation. This fact indicates that extravalvular prosthetic repair of the ascending aorta carried out by using indications provides a good clinical effect, and is an excellent alternative to Bentall and De Bono procedure.