The relative merits of four approaches to surgical management of the aortic root in Marfan syndrome to reduce the risk of death due to dissection
| Hazard | Bentall mechanical | Bentall tissue | Valve sparing | External support |
| Cardiopulmonary bypass | + | + | + | − |
| Blood products | + | + | + | − |
| Thrombembolic risk | + | − | − | − |
| Anticoagulation | + | − | − | − |
| Endocarditis | + | + | − | − |
| Reoperation for valve failure | − | + | +/− | ? |
The symbols + or − represent a simple dichotomy where + indicates an inherent hazard whether inevitable such as the need for cardiopulmonary bypass or a serious but uncommon risk such as endocarditis.