Cardiac Valve Allografts : Science and Practice

This volume highlights the controversy about freehand subcoronary aortic valve and root replacement with regard to postoperative morbidity and long-term durability. It discusses particular implantation techniques of preference in young patients and in different root pathology.

Standards and technical guidelines for heart valve banking.- An international survey of allograft valve banks.- Homograft viability, assessment and significance.- Human heart cold ischemia and its effect on post cryopreservation viability of heart valves.- Effects of storage temperature and fetal calf serum on the endothelium of porcine aortic valves: Functional and microscopic evaluation.- Pre-implantation viability of cryopreserved valves prepared by the Green Lane Technique.- The anatomic and physiological properties of the semilunar valves.- Immunology.- Antigenicity of human cardiac valve allografts in vitro.- Immunology of homograft valves.- Immunogenicity of human cardiac valve allografts.- Immune response and calcification of allografts.- The allograft valve in aortic valve replacement and in transplanted patients.- Allograft conduit wall calcification in a model of chronic arterial graft rejection.- Immunosuppression in allograft valve surgery. A study on inbred rat model.- Allograft Aortic Valve and Root Replacement.- Clinical results of freehand subcoronary aortic valve and root replacement with cryopreserved homografts (allografts).- Results of allograft aortic root replacement in children.- Alternative Procedures Autografts.- Extended aortic root replacement with pulmonary autograft.- Pulmonary autograft: "Valve of choice" for aortic infective endocarditis?.- Treatment of aortic valve endocarditis with the Ross operation.- Techniques of reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract at Ross operation.- Infectious Aortic Valve and Thoracic Aorta.- Allograft vs. prosthetic aortic valve replacement for active infective endocarditis.- Allograft aortic root surgery. The infected aortic root.- Cryopreserved aortic homografts for mycotic aneurysms and infected arterial grafts.- The use of aortic allografts for surgical management of mycotic infections and aneurysms of the thoracic aorta.- Large-caliber arterial allografts.- Aortic and Pulmonary Allografts for Reconstruction of the Right Ventricular Outflow Tract (Orthotopic and Heterotopic Implantation).- Allograft reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract: Techniques and results.- Outcome of pulmonary and aortic allografts for reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract in congenital cardiac surgery.- Long-term results of allograft conduits in the pulmonary circulation.- Techniques for repair of tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia using homografts - The Rotterdam Experience.- Use of allografts in the primary repair of Truncus arteriosus in early infancy and replacement of previous conduits revisited.- Orthotopic and heterotopic implantation of cryopreserved semilunar valves in the pulmonary circulation.- Intermediate-term performance of CryoLife cryopreserved heart valve allografts.- Homograft Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Replacement.- Replacement of the mitral and tricuspid valves with aortic and pulmonary valve allografts.- Mitral valve homograft.- Mitral valve allgrafts with mitral position.- Immunology and fate of mitral allografts. What are the operative technical options and prerequisites for durability?.- Unstented live tricuspid and mitral valve allografts.- Concluding Remarks and Prospects.