ROSS & ROOT

Ross and Root 2026 
The Aortic Root Symposium 

An interdisciplinary forum focused on contemporary surgical strategies for diseases of the aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aorta.

Dear Colleagues, 

It is our pleasure to invite you to the 2026 Meeting on Ross and Root Surgery, a two-day interdisciplinary course on contemporary management of diseases affecting the aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending thoracic aorta. 

International experts in cardiac surgery, cardiology, cardiovascular imaging, and cardiac anesthesia will lead state-of-the-art lectures, case-based discussi ons, and focused technical sessions. Topics will include aortic valve repair and reconstruction, valve-sparing root replacement using the David procedure, the Ross operation, composite root replacement, ascending aortic and arch surgery, and Personalized External Aortic Root Support (PEARS). The program will also address patient selection, advanced imaging, lifetime management strategies, shared decision-making, and individualized treatment. 

Day two will feature an extensive hands-on wet lab, allowing participants to practice aortic valve repair, valve-sparing root replacement, and the Ross procedure under expert guidance. 

We welcome established surgeons and trainees to exchange experience, refine technical skills, and help advance the future of aortic surgery. 

We look forward to welcoming you to this highly interactive meeting. 

Scientific Committee 

Marek Ehrlich, Alfred Kocher, Julia Dumfarth, Paul Werner, Daniel Zimpfer Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery, 

MedUni Vienna/University Hospital Vienna

Programm

Thursday, 24th September 2026 
Hotel Regina, Rooseveltplatz 15, 1090 Vienna

• 8.45 – 9.00 am | Welcome and Registration 
  Daniel Zimpfer, Bruno Podesser 
• 9.00 – 10.45 am | Session 1 
  Aortic Root: Indications and Imaging 
  Panel: Daniel Zimpfer, Raphael Rosenhek, Malakh Shrestha 
  • Aortic Root Disease in Practice: The Echocardiographic Perspective 
    Raphael Rosenhek 
  • Multimodality Imaging before Aortic Root Surgery: The Role of CTA and MRI 
    Dietrich Beitzke 
  • The Aortic Root Revisited: What’s New in the Guidelines? 
    Julia Dumfarth 
  • Intraoperative Imaging in Aortic Root Disease 
    Eva Base 
     
• 10.45 – 11.15 am | Coffee Break
   
• 11.15 am – 1.00 pm | Session 2 
  Aortic Valve Reconstruction 
  Panel: Marek Ehrlich, Julia Dumfarth, Edda Tschernko 
  • The David Procedure in Focus: A Universal Solution? 
    Julia Dumfarth 
  • Live-in-a-Box: Tirone David Procedure 
    Malakh Shrestha 
  • Tailored Repair Strategies: When Root Replacement is not required (incl. Live-in-a-Box) 
    Laurent De Kerchove 
  • When Repair Reaches its Limits: The Modified Bentall Procedure as a Standard Solution 
    Marek Ehrlich
     
• 1.00 – 2.00 pm | Lunch Break
   
• 2.00 – 3.30 pm | Session 3 
  The Ross Procedure 
  Panel: Stephan Ensminger, Alfred Kocher, Peter Murin 
  • The Ross Procedure: Long-Term Results and Contemporary Perspectives 
    Paul Werner 
  • Live-in-a-Box: Classic Ross Procedure 
    Ismail El-Hamamsy 
  • Protecting the Autograft: Reinforcement and PEARS Techniques in Practice and Live-in-a-box: Ross-PEARS Procedure 
    Alfred Kocher 
  • The Ross Procedure in Congenital Heart Disease: Indications and Outcomes 
    Peter Murin 
     
• 3.30 – 4.00 pm | Coffee Break
   
• 4.00 – 5.30 pm |Session 4 
  After the Index Procedure: Follow-Up, Reintervention and Alternate Options for the Root 
  Panel: Iuliana Coti, Lore Schrutka, Paul Werner
  • After the Surgery: Optimizing Outcomes Following Aortic Root Interventions
    Sabine Greil, Lore Schrutka
  • Reinterventions after Ross: Preserving the Autograft 
    Daniel Zimpfer 
  • Managing the RVPA Conduit after the Ross 
    Matthias Beichl, Erhan Urganci 
  • Modern Prosthetic Valve Replacement: Choosing between Surgery and Transcatheter Approaches Iuliana Coti 
  • The Alfred Kocher Technique – Our Default Approach for the Small Aortic Root (Incl. Live-in-a-Box) Alfred Kocher 
     
• 5.30 pm | Wrap-Up and Adjourn
   

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Friday, 25th September 2026 
Center for Biomedical Research and Translational Surgery, 
Spitalgasse 23, 1090 Vienna

• 8.45 – 9.00 am | Welcome 
  Bruno Podesser
• 9.00 am – 12.00 pm | Wetlabs (Rotations) 
  • Alfred Kocher Root Workshop 
    Alfred Kocher, Iuliana Coti, Severin Längle 
  • Ross Procedure Workshop 
    Peter Murin, Paul Werner 
  • Classic Root Enlargement Workshop 
    Rainald Seitelberger, Bruno Podesser 
  • David Procedure Workshop 
    Julia Dumfarth, Alexandra Andreeva 
• 12.00 pm | Closing and Adjourn

Anmeldung

Registration: 
events-herzchirurgie@meduniwien.ac.at 

The symposium will take place on 24th of September 2026 at Hotel Regina, Rooseveltplatz 15, 1090 Vienna.

The Wetlab-Course on 25th of September 2026, will be held at the Center for Biomedical Research and Trans lational Surgery at MedUni Vienna, AKH-Building 24, next to CeMM (Research Center for Molecular Medicine) Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna

The course fee for the Wetlab-Course amount to 200 Euro and is due upon participant registration.

Please find the exact bank details for your registration: IBAN: AT362011140410070700 BIC: GIBAATWW Payment reference: KO73200003 and your name