Supra-Annular Versus Intra-Annular Prostheses in Aortic Valve Replacement: Impact on Hemodynamics and Clinical Outcomes

Kim and colleagues sought to determine if a supra-annular aortic valve prosthesis implantation is superior to an intra-annular implantation. The authors retrospectively reviewed outcomes and echocardiographic data for 587 patients who received either supra-annular or intra-annular aortic valve prostheses from St Jude Medical. The implantation technique did not significantly affect the risk of overall mortality or major adverse events, however there were superior hemodynamics with lower peak velocity, lower mean pressure gradient, and improved ventricular mass index in patients with supra-annular implantation.