Materials and Methods
From July 2004 to December 2017, three hundred and nine consecutive
patients referred for elective surgery for aortic valve disease at our
institution were retrospectively reviewed. Approval of the local Ethics
Committee was obtained and individual patient consent was waived.
Inclusion criteria were age≥18y,the maximal diameters of ascending
aorta<45mm,BAV or TAV were diagnosed by preoperative echocardiography
and confirmed by intraoperative direct inspection. Exclusions were
previous history of cardiac surgery, acute and chronic aortic
dissections, concomitant replacement of the proximal aorta, systemic
syndromes (i.e., Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, Ehler-Danlos, Turner).
After exclusions, a total of 165 patients were included in the study.
Standard demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic data were
collected from the database and medical records. The diameters of aortic
root and ascending aortic were determined from preoperative and the most
recent echocardiograms. Long term follow-up was obtained by telephone
interviews to the patients and/or their family members and by reviewing
the resent outpatient medical files. The most recent echocardiograms
were reviewed and compared with preoperative data for each patient, when
available. Patients were considered lost to follow-up if their phone
numbers were no longer valid, and their postal addresses were modified.