Ross procedure

The operation by Ross ( Ross short - OP, Eng. Ross procedure ) is surgery on the heart, in which a degenerated aortic valve is replaced with the patient's own healthy pulmonary valve. Instead of keeping a donor preparation ( allograft ) is implanted. The operation is carried out in children with good results, while the results are discussed controversial in adults.

An advantage is the lack of need for anticoagulation ( anti-coagulation ) as an artificial valve replacement, there is no foreign material is implanted, and better hemodynamic characteristics. A disadvantage is often formulated so that the disease of a heart valve requires an operation on two flaps.

History

Lower implanted in 1960 at the animal experiment, the pulmonary valve into the ascending aorta and Pillsbury in 1966 Aortenklappenwurzel. A year later succeeded Donald Ross, after which the method is called, the first clinical aortic valve replacement with autologous pulmonary valve. Due to the complexity of this operation on the one hand and the other hand, rapidly developing, just to be implanted mechanical replacement valves and bioprostheses the Ross operation initially was no further spread. Only by the Publications excellent clinical results at the end of the 80s and the increasingly noticeable disadvantages of conventional spare valves won this method attractive.

Since 1987 an increase in the numbers of operations from the initial 30 procedures per year has been recorded on more than 600 in 1996 worldwide. The total number of Ross operations was approximately 5500 operations by mid-2003.