SHREVEPORT, LA. — Doctors at Willis Knighton performed what they believe is the first non-surgical aortic valve tumor removal in the world.

The minimally invasive procedure was performed on a 77-year-old patient who was not a candidate for open heart surgery due to comorbid conditions.

While the fibroelastoma was not cancerous, it posed a grave threat to the patient. It was on the aortic valve leaflet, a thin flap of tissue that opens and closes to allow blood to leave the heart.

The tumor was not solid, but instead, more like a clump of seaweed. So, pieces of it could break off and travel to the patient’s brain, causing a stroke, if not removed.

Dr. Joseph Fredi was the lead cardiologist on the procedure. He says the tumor was on a stalk, like a flower on a stem. Going through a catheter from the groin area, he used what he calls a gooseneck snare electrocauterization.

“I clamped it to the cautery, cinched it down. I cut and turned on this aspiration suction catheter at the same time. As it cut, it sucked it right out,” said Fredi. “By doing all that we were able to treat him and get it resolved. He got surgical-like results. I mean, it is completely gone.”

The procedure did not damage the valve and there were no complications. The patient walked out of the hospital five days later.

Because this was the first procedure of its kind, the medical team had a step-by-step walk-through the day before to ensure a successful outcome.

Fredi said he and his colleagues will submit the information for peer review and publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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