AORTIC-VALVE DISEASE IN MARFAN-SYNDROME

The Marfan syndrome patient undergoes care by many different physician s for the treatment of the varied systems affected by this connective tissue disorder. The most frequent visits are to a cardiologist, with referral to a cardiovascular surgeon who attends to the problems of di latation and dissection of the ascending aorta. Follow-up is lifelong. Although currently some surgeons prefer to resuspend rather than repl ace the aortic valve, composite valve graft replacement for aortic roo t dilatation and aortic valve insufficiency has steadily improved pati ent outcome. At the same time, the almost daily discoveries of genetic science show great promise in eliminating connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome in the not-too-distant future. (C) 1998 Rapid Science Publishers.