Surgical treatment of aortic root abscess with damage of the mitral valve apparatus.

A 35-year-old man with an aortic root abscess successfully underwent aortic valve replacement and mitral valve repair using a prosthetic valve with a skirt which was secured to the sewing cuff. This is a useful technique for reinforcement of a fragile annulus and prevention of annular detachment. A further useful technique is to infuse normal saline from a Foley catheter inserted into the aortic root to estimate mitral valve coaptation.