Contemporary results of aortic valve repair for congenital disease: lessons for management and staged strategy

Any aortic valve (AoV) operation in children (repair, Ross or mechanical replacement) is a palliation and reinterventions are frequent. AoV repair is a temporary solution primarily aimed at allowing the patient to grow to an age when more definitive solutions are available. We retrospectively analysed AoV repair effectiveness across the whole age spectrum of children, excluding neonates and AoV disease secondary to congenital heart disease. From 2003 to 2015, 193 consecutive patients were included. The mean age was 9.2 ± 6.9 years (22%