Cardiac Valve Allografts Science and Practice

CARDIAC VALVE ALLOGRAFTS (HOMOGRAFTS) highlights the current 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. Other chapters address intermediate- and long-term results on cardiac valve and vascular homografts for treating complicating cardiac valve and aortic infections.
The chapter on basic science additionally makes this book a highly authoritative reference source for cardiac surgeons, physicians and scientists.
This work provides a current survey of the state-of-the-art.

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.