Surgical treatments for Connective Tissue Disorders

In the past, patients with connective tissue disorders such as Marfan Syndrome and Loeys-Dietz Syndrome often died in young adulthood because of the heart and aortic complications of their condition.  Now, however, with early diagnosis and timely surgical intervention, most patients enjoy a much greater life expectancy than ever before.

Patients often have a family history of Marfan Syndrome or develop eye or orthopaedic complications, of their condition early in life, all of which lead to medical assessment of their heart and aorta. 

Newer cardiac surgical techniques involving valve-sparing aortic root replacements are performed by cardiac surgeon Professor J. Mark Redmond at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, UPMC Beacon Hospital and Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin.

Professor Redmond also treats the descending thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections, often with new endovascular stents which can be placed without major surgery.

Professor Redmond was previously director of the Albert Broccoli Centre for Aortic Diseases at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore Maryland, USA, where many of the techniques to treat aortic complications of Marfan and Loeys-Dietz Syndrome were developed.