Ross Confers More Favorable Left Ventricular Remodeling Compared with Mechanical Aortic Valve Replacement

Background: Aortic valve disease results in left ventricular (LV) dilation and/or hypertrophy. Valve intervention may improve, but not normalize flow dynamics. We hypothesized that LV remodeling would be more favorable following the Ross procedure versus mechanical aortic valve replacement (mAVR). Methods: Patients who were 18 to 50 years of age and underwent Ross or mAVR from 2000 to 2016 at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Propensity score matching was performed and yielded 27 well-matched pairs. Demographics and echocardiographic variables of LV morphology and wall thickness were collected. Those with > mild residual valve disease were excluded. Primary endpoints included LV morphology. T test and Fisher exact test analysis were used for statistical comparison. Results: Average age at operation (Ross 35.3 +/- 10.2 vs mAVR 37.3 +/- 8.9 years) did not differ. Indication for operation was similar between groups. Preoperative echocardiographic variables did not differ. At average follow-up duration (Ross 7.9 +/- 2.4 vs mAVR 7.3 +/- 2.4 years), wall thickness was significantly smaller for Ross compared with mAVR (P = .00715). Only 4/27 (15%) of mAVR patients had normalized LV parameters compared with 16/27 (59%) of Ross patients (P = .000813). Residual hypertrophy was the most common long-term abnormality for mAVR. Conclusion: Following aortic valve replacement with the Ross procedure or mechanical aortic valve prosthesis, the Ross conferred more favorable LV remodeling compared with mAVR. Future directions include analyzing longer follow-up to determine if patterns persist and the impact on cardiac morbidity and mortality.