Supraannular Aortic Replacement for Severe Valve Detachment Attributable to Behcet's Disease

The occurrence of aortic regurgitation (AR) attributable to Behcet's disease is rare, but it brings extraordinary complexity to surgical intervention due to the high risk of postoperative morbidity as the result of valve dehiscence or pseudoaneurysms caused by fragile aortic structures and inflamed tissue. The high rate of prosthetic valve detachment after aortic valve replacement is one of the most serious consequences of aortic regurgitation in Behcet's disease, which results in severe aortic annular destruction, presenting a big challenge to cardiac surgeons. Under this condition, a conventional surgical technique is necessary to be modified for improving postoperative prognosis of patients. In this paper, we described the surgical treatment of 5 patients with Behcet's aortitis and report their long-term outcomes. (Ann Thorac Surg 2012;94:e55-7) (c) 2012 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons