Composite graft tear and aortico-left ventricular tunnel after aortic rootreplacement using Cabrol's technique

Woven graft tear is a very rare complication after aortic root replacement using Cabrol's technique. In this report, we present a 40-year-old man with aortic annular ectasia and severe aortic regurgitation who underwent four revisional aortic valve operations because of recurrent paravalvular leakag e after valve repair and/or replacement. The Bentall operation with translo cated aortic valve and Cabrol's coronary artery anastomosis were performed in the fifth operation, because of progressive dilatation of the aortic roo t and ascending aorta. Unfortunately, aorticoventricular tunnel developed 2 years after aortic root replacement using Cabrol's technique. Graft tear a nd proximal anastomotic leakage were found to be the cause of the tunnel du ring the sixth operation. The patient died of myocardial failure 8 days aft er the seventh aortic root replacement operation. The devastating result of this complication should alert cardiovascular surgeons to the possibility of graft failure after the Bentall operation.