Inter-operative determination of the aortic root and cusp geometry associated with the aortic regurgitation grade

Purposes To perform successful aortic valve plasty (AVP) and valve-sparing root replacement (VSRR), a sufficient understanding of the aortic root and cusp geometry is required. Several key parameters of the aortic root and cusp geometry were, therefore, measured intraoperatively. Methods Forty-nine patients (63.1 ± 16.6 y.o., 40 males) were measured during the surgeries. The patients were divided into 3 groups; including patients with no or mild aortic valve regurgitation (AR) ( n = 13), moderate AR ( n = 18), and severe AR ( n = 18). Results There were no significant differences in the body surface area (1.72 ± 0.19 m 2 ) among the 3 groups ( p = 0.858). The effective height (EH) and geometric height (GH) of right coronary cusp were smaller than those of the others (EH: p = 0.068, GH: p