Stentless aortic valve implantation in heavily calcified aorta

Two male patients who underwent an aortic valve replacement are presented in this study. After assessment, an aortic valve stenosis was diagnosed in both patients, and a multislice computed tomography scan confirmed the heavily calcified aorta and severe aortic stenosis. The computed tomography scan demonstrated the huge calcium deposits and their distribution in detail. Notably, the ascending aorta in both patients was severely plaqued, and only the supra-annular zone was free from any detectable calcium deposits. We present the images of this case and the surgical technique applied in this matter. J Cardiovasc Med 10:813-814 (C) 2009 Italian Federation of Cardiology.