Robert's Profile

I had SAVR surgery on January 24, 2023 to implant an ON-X metal Aortic Valve.., along with Left Atrial Appendage Clip and Cox Maze 3 procedure. Went through 12 weeks of PT (3 times per week) as well. Two weeks ago (6 months after surgery) I had my first echocardiogram and was told that I have Paravalvular Leakage in my aortic valve. That means the leak is not the actual new ON-X valve but the leak is two "streams" where the tissue was sewn into the sewing ring. This was diagnosed through echo, TEE, and CT Scan. I have now been told that I will need a re-operation with Full Sternotomy to repair the initial SAVR. One surgeon thinks its a good time to take out the ON-X metal valve and replace it with a tissue valve to eliminate the need for lifelong warfarin, I'm not sure about that either? My questions are: Can't they fix it through non invasive transcatheter procedure? If not then how about a Hemi Sternotomy as that is less invasive and recovery is easier? Either way, what is the success rate and how long will the fix hold for? Is this something where once its fixed it is fixed for good or can it rear its ugly head again years later?