Agenda

Day 1 – Friday, September 5, 2025

7:00 – 7:40
Registration & Breakfast

7:40 – 7:50
Welcome from the Ottawa Heart Institute Leadership

7:50 – 8:00
Introduction and Welcome

8:00 – 10:30
Session 1 – Aortic Valve: Imaging, Indications, and Anatomy
Moderators: Joseph Bavaria and Maral Ouzounian
Presenters: David Messika-Zeitoun, Arminder Jassar, Jehangir Appoo, Ming Guo, Jared Fineman

• Evaluating the patient with AR: What tests and surgical thresholds to use in 2025?
• Indications for ascending aorta and root replacement: Guidelines and Evidence
• Lessons for proximal aortic surgery from the TITAN trials and registry
• Anatomy of the aortic valve and root: Nuances for AV repair and Ross Procedures
• Echocardiographic Evaluation of Aortic Regurgitation: Mechanisms of Insufficiency
• Live Case #1: Valve Sparing Aortic Root Replacement, Trileaflet AV

By the end of this session participants will be able to:
1. Know the indications for intervention for aortic regurgitation and aortic replacement based on
latest guidelines
2. Appreciate the nuances of aortic valve and root anatomy for aortic valve repair and Ross procedure
3. Understand the echocardiographic evaluation of aortic regurgitation focusing on mechanisms of
insufficiency

10:30 – 10:45
Nutrition and Networking Break

10:45 – 13:15
Session 2 – Techniques of Aortic Valve Repair
Moderators: Ed Chen and David Glineur
Presenters: Joseph Bavaria, Himanshu Patel, Prashanth Vallabhajosyula

• Valve Analysis: the cornerstone of AV repair
• Key concepts and Technical Nuances of the Reimplantation Procedure
• Key concepts and Technical Nuances of the Remodeling Procedure
• Annuloplasty of the aortic valve without root replacement: what are the options?
• Live Case #2: Ross Procedure

By the end of this session participants will be able to:
1. Combine echocardiographic and surgical data to perform a thorough valve analysis
2. Describe the key technical steps of valve sparing aortic root replacement using the reimplantation
and the remodeling techniques
3. Understand the available options and techniques for aortic valve annuloplasty without root
replacement

13:45 – 16:15
Session 3 – Ross Procedure
Moderators: Nimesh Desai and William Brinkman
Presenters: Michael Chu, Nimesh Desai, Francisco Da Costa

• Patient Selection for the Ross Procedure in 2025
• Technical nuances to prevent late failure of the Ross Procedure in AR [How I do it]
• The pulmonary homograft: Maximizing durability and options for intervention
• Supported Ross Procedure in Dacron: How I Do It
• Live Case #3: Severe Aortic Regurgitation, Trileaflet Aortic Valve

By the end of this session participants will be able to:
1. Describe indications and factors for patient selection for the Ross Procedure
2. Understand the technical aspects of performing a Ross procedure in the setting of AR
3. Appreciate the incidence and available options for the autograft and pulmonary homograft failure

16:15 – 16:30
Nutrition and Networking Break

16:30 – 17:45
Session 4 – Advanced AV Repair Techniques (Video Session)
Moderators: Prashanth Vallabhajosyula and Himanshu Patel
Presenters: Maral Ouzounian, Hugo Issa, Gebrine El-Khoury, Jared Fineman and Nimesh Desai

• Preserving and Repairing the AV in Acute Type A Dissection
• Cusp Shaving and Decalcification to optimize repair
• Special Lecture: Managing complex cusp disease
• The valve leaks: what do I do?

By the end of this session participants will be able to:
1. Appreciate technical aspects of aortic valve repair in acute type A dissection
2. Understand the assessment and treatment of multiple cusp prolapse and the use of shaving and
decalcification to optimize cusp function
3. Develop an approach to residual aortic regurgitation following repair

17:45 – 17:50
Closing Remarks

DAY 2 – Saturday, September 6, 2025

9:30 – 9:40
Opening Remarks & Review of Day 1 Patients

9:40 – 12:10
Session 5 – Core Concepts in Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Moderators: Michael Chu, Joseph Bavaria
Presenters: Ed Chen, Joseph Bavaria, Emmanuel Lansac

• Anatomic nuances and repair oriented classification of the BAV
• Live Case #4: VSRR with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Repair
• Repairing the Symmetric BAV (How I do it)
• Repairing the Asymmetric BAV (How I do it)
• BAV repair without root replacement (How I do it)

By the end of this session participants will be able to:
1. Appreciate the anatomy and classification system for bicuspid aortic valve insufficiency
2. Understand the technical aspects of BAV repair with or without aortic root replacement

12:10 – 13:00
Networking Lunch

13:00 – 15:30
Session 6 – Controversies in AV Repair and Ross
Moderators: Ismail El-Hamamsy, Elaine Tseng
Presenters: Michael Chu, Prashanth Vallabhajosyula, Talal Al-Atassi, Ismail El-Hamamsy, Francois
Dagenais, William Brinkman, Elaine Tseng

Live Case #5: Bicuspid AV Repair

Debate: AR in the healthy 60 year old patient with repairable valve

• Preferred treatment is AV repair
• Preferred treatment is Tissue AVR/Bentall
• Preferred treatment is (will be) TAVR
• Preferred treatment is Ross

Innovations in Aortic Valve and Aortic Surgery

• Looking beyond the ascending aorta: Options for FETRs in advanced aortopathy
• Outcomes beyond the first decade: Valve Sparing, AV repair, and Ross
• Novel Methods for risk predictions in aortic aneurysms

By the end of this session participants will be able to:
1. Appreciate the considerations in determining the optimal aortic valve treatment strategy of a 60 year
patient with severe AR
2. Determine options to repair a BAV with or without root replacement in a young patient
3. Understand the role of non-diameter parameters for aortic risk stratification
4. Know the long-term outcomes of AV repair and the Ross procedure.

15:30 – 15:45
Nutrition and Networking Break

15:45 – 16:45
Session 7 – Putting it all together
Modertors: Munir Boodhwani, Joseph Bavaria
Panelists: Gebrine El-Khoury, Munir Boodhwani, Emmanuel Lansac, Ed Chen, Jared Fineman, IsmailEl-Hamamsy, Maral Ouzounian

By the end of this session participants will be able to: Consolidate the learning from this conference by combining case-based clinical, echocardiographic, and surgical information to determine optimal treatment strategy

16:45 – 17:00
Closing Remarks