[HSF] Ao Wraping

[Jbflegejr at aol.com]

I wrapped the ascending aorta in several patients some years ago when I was 
much intimidated by the prospect of replacing the aorta. I mentioned this 
technique to a colleague who had had much more experience than I and he said that 
he had seen calcification of the aorta underneath the wrap. Not too long 
afterwards one of my patients with a wrapped aorta came back with a degenerated 
porcine aortic replacement valve about ten years after his operation. I found at 
reoperation that all that remained of the aortic wall under the wrap was a 
thin, like an egg shell, layer that was very brittle and fragmented easily and 
made for some difficulty in replacing the aorta. I do not know what happened to 
the other patients. This finding was exactly like what my colleague described. 
John Flege



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