Patch aortoplasty for supravalvular aortic stenosis in an adult patient: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is an uncommon congenital abnormality that presents with intimal thickening of the aortic media at the sinotubular junction. Given the congenital nature of the disease, patients usually become symptomatic in childhood.

PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 48-year-old man developed symptomatic SVAS in middle age. A patch aortoplasty with a bovine pericardial patch was performed. His postoperative course was uneventful, and echocardiography revealed a significant decrease in peak velocity and pressure gradient.

DISCUSSION: SVAS, a congenital heart disease with an incidence of 1 in 20,000 live births, is often linked to Williams syndrome but can also occur independently. Isolated SVAS is generally less severe and may not show symptoms in childhood. Its narrowing often stabilizes after growth, but in this middle-aged patient, symptoms appeared later in life. SVAS usually presents as discrete thickening above the sinuses of Valsalva or as diffuse narrowing along the ascending aorta. Surgical relief is the common treatment, with flap plasty using various patch techniques. This patient, having discrete stenosis and intact aortic valve function, underwent single-patch expansion. Key to this surgery is avoiding coronary artery stenosis, by considering coronary orifice location and other cardiac anomalies. A bovine pericardial patch was chosen for its bleeding control benefits.

CONCLUSION: Although SVAS progression in middle age is quite rare, it can be successfully corrected with detailed and selected surgical procedures.