Aortic Surgery Program, Welcome from Program Director

Welcome from Program Director

Allan S. Stewart, MD
Director, Aortic Surgery Program

Welcome to the Aortic Surgery Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (NYPH/Columbia). Our multidisciplinary group is dedicated to the medical and surgical management of complex thoracic aortic disease, including thoracic aortic aneurysms. We offer expertise in all types of acute and chronic aortic problems including:

acute Type A and Type B dissection,
ascending aortic and arch aneurysms, and
aortic root reconstruction—including homograft procedures, valve sparing root replacement, and mechanical valve conduits.

We work in concert with our colleagues in the Division of Vascular Surgery to offer definitive management of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic reconstruction (endovascular stent grafting and open repair). We also offer long-term follow up care, particularly for patients with residual dissections or Marfan's syndrome.

The largest artery in the body, the aorta receives oxygenated blood from the left ventricle of the heart (through the aortic valve) and distributes it throughout the body. Tears in the lining of the aorta are known as dissections, while weakenings in the aortic wall are called aneurysms. While both conditions are potentially life threatening, they can be effectively treated when caught in time.

Aortic surgery may be elective (scheduled) or emergent. Elective surgery can prevent devastating complications of aortic disease, such as aortic valve incompetence, aortic rupture, and aortic dissection. Elective procedures include replacement of the aortic root, reconstruction of the aortic arch, and replacement of a portion or the entire thoracic aorta. An endovascular stent graft, which provides "scaffolding" support for the artery, may be used to minimize the extent of surgery.

Emergent aortic surgery seeks to repair life-threatening complications of aortic disease. These procedures include repair of aortic dissection, replacement of the aortic valve in acute valve incompetence, repair of traumatic aortic transection, and replacement of a ruptured aneurysm.

At the Aortic Surgery Program, we offer leading surgical care for both elective and emergent aortic procedures. In addition, we are actively researching the causes of and new treatment alternatives for this serious disease.

Facts about the Columbia Aortic Surgery Program:

Mortality for aortic valve replacement at Columbia is consistently below the national average for U.S. academic medical centers.
The David procedure: Columbia is a national leader in conducting this valve-sparing operation, in which the ascending aorta is replaced without harming the native valve. Since 2005, we have performed nearly 60 David procedures with no mortalities and no serious complications. Read more.
Columbia was one of the first institutions in the U.S. to conduct percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve replacement, in 2006. During this procedure, a catheter is advanced through the femoral artery—or through the chest wall and left ventricle—to the aortic valve, where a tissue valve with metal stent scaffolding is positioned and deployed.