What you can expect

There are several types of aortic root surgery, including:

• Aortic valve and root replacement. In aortic valve and root replacement (composite aortic root replacement), your surgeon removes a section of the body's largest blood vessel (aorta) your aortic valve. The section of your aorta is replaced with an artificial tube (graft), and your aortic valve is replaced with a mechanical or biological valve. If you have a mechanical valve, you'll need to take blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) for life to prevent blood clots.
• Valve-sparing aortic root repair. In this procedure, the surgeon replaces the enlarged section of the aorta with a graft. The aortic valve stays in place. In one technique, your surgeon stitches the valve inside of the graft.

If you have some other heart conditions, your surgeon may perform additional procedures to treat these at the same time.