Pulmonary autograft implantation in the dilated aortic annulus.

The application of the pulmonary autograft (Ross) procedure in the treatment of dilated aortic annulus is still controversial, because technical errors of implantation are more likely to occur as the host annular diameter increases. The Ross procedure was successfully employed in a 28-year-old woman with a dilated aortic annulus after simple annular plication. The annulus was plicated beneath the three commissures where the pulmonary autograft was subsequently attached. The diameter of the annulus was reduced from 32 to 26 mm. This technique may provide a number of advantages compared with aortic valve replacement, especially for women of child-bearing age.