Anatomy and pathophysiology of the ventriculo-aortic junction: implication in aortic valve repair surgery.

Introduction : To understand the different mechanisms of aortic regurgitation (AR), the aortic valve needs to be considered as a functional unit composed of three structures: (I) the functional aortic annulus (FAA), comprising of the ventriculo-aortic junction (VAJ) and the sino-tubular junction (STJ) ; (II) the leaflets with their attachment; and (III) the three sinuses of Valsalva. The different mechanisms of AR have been classified by our group in a repair-oriented classification, with particular importance given to the VAJ. Generally, along with the primary repair technique specific for each type of AR, a VAJ annuloplasty is required to restore the discrepancy between valve orifice and quantity of leaflet tissue. [...]