This standard surgery replaces the ascending aorta with or without replacing the valve. This procedure can lead to a lifetime of anticoagulant drugs.
The alternative is a valve-sparing procedure where the aortic valve is retained and fixed with an external mesh; a material that acts as an artificial tubular graft to replace the weakened aorta.
PEARS is custom made to exactly fit the patient’s aorta. The tube is placed around the ascending aorta, which remains intact, therefore the procedure is much easier with no need for the patient to take any drugs thereafter.
This procedure involves open chest surgery.
Aortopathy simply means any disease of the aorta, which is the main artery of the body.