Surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) is a procedure designed to restore or remodel the left ventricle to its normal, spherical shape and size in patients with akinetic segments of the heart, secondary to either dilated cardiomyopathy or post infarction left ventricular aneurysm.

The SVR procedure is usually performed after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and may proceed or be followed by mitral valve repair or replacement and other procedures such as endocardectomy and cryoablation for treatment of ventricular tachycardia. A key difference between surgical ventricular restoration and ventriculectomy (i.e., for aneurysm removal) is that in SVR the ventricle is reconstructed using patches of autologous or artificial material that are placed to close the defect while maintaining the desired ventricular volume and contour.

Additionally, SVR is distinct from partial left ventriculectomy (i.e., the Bastista procedure, see policy No.86) which does not attempt to specifically resect akinetic segments and restore ventricular conture.

The SVR procedure may also be referred to as ventricular remodeling, surgical anterior ventricular endocardial restoration (SAVER) or the Dor procedure after Vincent Dor, MD. Dr. Dor pioneered expansion of techniques for ventricular reconstruction and is credited with treating congestive heart failure patients with SVR in conjunction with CABG.

Surgical ventricular restoration is considered investigational for the treatment of ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy or post infarction left ventricular aneurysm.