Cardiovascular Manifestations and Surgery for Marfan's Syndrome

¹ Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgery Department, and the Cardio-Pulmonary Laboratory, Beilinson Hospital, University of Tel-Aviv Medical School, Israel
² Head, Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Beilinson Hospital, Professor of Surgery, University of Tel-Aviv Medical School, Israel

Five patients with Marfan's syndrome and heart failure, their ages ranging from three to 49 years, were operated upon between September, 1966 and October, 1967. In four, aneurysm of the ascending aorta with aortic regurgitation, and in one severe mitral regurgitation were present. In three patients the aneurysmatic part of the ascending aorta was excised and replaced by a Dacron graft and the aortic valve replaced by prosthesis. In another, a six-year-old boy, aortic aneurysmorrhaphy and annuloplasty was performed. In the fifth, a three-year-old child, the mitral valve was replaced. One patient (with aortic lesion) expired because of gastrointestinal tract bleeding following surgery. Pathologic examination of the excised parts in each patient showed typical features occurring in Marfan. The follow-up extending from nine to 22 months after surgery has shown marked improvement in functional capacity with significant decrease of heart size in the four surviving patients, among them two children ages three and six years.