Aortic Periprosthetic Leak

Aortic periprosthetic leak, or aortic periprosthetic valve leak, is a condition that sometimes occurs following surgery to replace the heart's aortic valve with a mechanical valve. Periprosthetic essentially means "around the prosthetic," which in this case refers to the mechanical valve. Periprosthetic leakage (PPL) is one of the most common reasons a second surgery is required following valve replacement.

To understand why valve replacement is needed, it's important to know the function of the aortic valve. Normally, blood is pumped from the left chamber of the heart, called the ventricle, to the aorta, a large blood vessel that transports oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. The heart's aortic valve controls the flow of blood between the ventricle and the aorta by closing between beats (when the heart is at rest) to help prevent a backflow of blood into the heart. If the aortic valve malfunctions or fails to close properly, blood regurgitates or leaks back into the heart's ventricle, resulting in aortic valve regurgitation. This prevents the body from getting the proper amount of blood and requires the heart to work harder to pump the blood. Aortic valve regurgitation may then require surgery to replace the aortic valve with a mechanical or prosthetic valve.

Why UAB

The UAB Structural Heart & Valve Program is the oldest and largest program of its kind in Alabama. It provides ongoing care – sometimes for life – to patients who have or are at risk for structural heart and valve disease. Our experienced surgeons and cardiologists take a comprehensive approach to diagnosing and treating this condition, and their expertise ranges from traditional open-heart surgery to robotic-assisted valve repair and the latest in minimally invasive surgical techniques, which require only small incisions (cuts).

The UAB Structural Heart & Valve Clinic has achieved several important milestones in the past decade. In 2012, we performed the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in Alabama, and UAB has performed more TAVR procedures than any other hospital in the state. As an added service, patients who have been told by non-UAB doctors that they need valve surgery can speak to a UAB structural heart and valve surgeon for a second opinion.

IMAGES AND VIDEOS

UAB’s 500th TAVR procedure gave this retired pastor and baseball player an opportunity to help others.

WWII vet and three-time Purple Heart recipient is back on his feet after ambitious heart treatments and procedures.

Unique heart procedure—transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)--gives 89 year old a new lease on life

Take a video tour of the UAB Heart & Vascular Clinic at Acton Road.

Patients like Sarah Ford travel to UAB because of the experienced surgeons and cutting-edge care.

CARE PROVIDERS

Mustafa I. Ahmed, MD

Constantine L. Athanasuleas, MD

James E. Davies Jr., MD

Kyle W. Eudailey, MD

Lisa Findley, CRNP, DNP

William L. Holman, MD

Massoud Leesar, MD

Clifton Lewis, Sr., MD

Sara J. Pereira, MD

Gregory O. Von Mering, MD

Related Conditions

This procedure may be used to treat or diagnose several different conditions. We have listed some of these conditions below for your convenience. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list and may vary depending on your specific diagnosis.

Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

CLINICAL TRIALS

UAB is an active participant in research and clinical trials for the diagnosis and treatment of aortic periprosthetic leak. We encourage you to speak to your physician about research and clinical trial options and browse the link below for more information on clinical trials at clinicaltrials.gov.

View Clinical Trials