Marfan syndrome

External stent to support aorta

This innovative procedure involves a mesh tube, custom-made using computer-aided design, wrapped around the root of the aorta. Long-term follow-up is underway to evaluate the procedure which is increasingly available in specialized centers.[48]Svensson LG, Khitin L. Aortic cross-sectional area/height ratio timing of aortic surgery in asymptomatic patients with Marfan syndrome. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2002 Feb;123(2):360-1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11828302?tool=bestpractice.com [79]National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Personalised external aortic root support (PEARS) using mesh to prevent aortic root expansion and aortic dissection in people with Marfan syndrome. May 2022 [internet publication]. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ipg724 [80]Treasure T, Takkenberg JJ, Pepper J. Personalised external aortic root support. Heart. 2014 Jul;100(13):1065-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24870954?tool=bestpractice.com [81]Treasure T, King A, Hidalgo Lemp L, et al. Developing a shared decision support framework for aortic root surgery in Marfan syndrome. Heart. 2018 Mar;104(6):480-6. https://www.doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2017-311598 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28780581?tool=bestpractice.com ​​ Perioperative mortality is low, and less than that for open heart surgery.[82]Pepper J, Izgi C, Golesworthy TJ, et al. Personalised external aortic root support (PEARS) to stabilise an aortic root aneurysm. Br J Cardiol. 2020;27(3):22. https://www.doi.org/10.5837/bjc.2020.022 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35747770?tool=bestpractice.com The advantages of this personalized external aortic root support (PEARS) technique include shorter operation time, more rapid recovery, and lack of need for lifelong anticoagulant therapy.