Aortic valve replacement with frozen irradiated homografts. An 18-year experience

• Published in: European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery Vol. 3; no. 6; pp. 558 - 561
• Main Authors: CAMPALANI, G, CHALMERS, J. A. C, WEAVER, E. J. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Science B.V 1989; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aortic Valve - transplantation; Aortic Valve Insufficiency - physiopathology; Aortic Valve Insufficiency - surgery; Aortic Valve Stenosis - physiopathology; Aortic Valve Stenosis - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiac Surgical Procedures - mortality; Cause of Death; Child; Cryopreservation; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gamma Rays - therapeutic use; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Reoperation; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the heart; Survival Rate; Tissue Preservation - methods; Transplantation, Homologous; Human; Gamma irradiation; Cardiac valvular disease; Follow up study; Surgery; Homograft; Cardiovascular disease; Replacement; Aortic valve; Freezing
• ISSN: 1010-7940; 1873-734X
• DOI: 10.1016/1010-7940(89)90119-X

Between May 1968 and April 1981, 339 patients underwent isolated aorticvalve replacement using frozen irradiated homografts. All the operationswere carried out by the same surgeon (EJMW) using the same technique.Thirty-two patients were lost to follow-up at various stages and thelong-term results of the remaining 307 patients are reported. Two hundredand thirty-four were males and 73 females. Their ages ranged between 10 and75 years, with a mean age of 53. The dominant lesion was aortic stenosis in195 cases (63.5%), aortic regurgitation in 68 (22.1%), and mixed aorticvalve disease in 44 (14.3%). Early mortality was 8.8% and late mortalityduring the 5-18 year follow-up period was 49.6%. Re-operations forhomograft failure were carried out in 112 patients (40%), with an earlymortality of 25%. The results are compared with those of other major seriesusing antibiotic sterilized homograft valves.