Management of commissural lesions in native mitral valve endocarditis: long-term results of valve repair and partial homograft replacement.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Commissural lesions in the context of native mitral valve endocarditis are a technically challenging condition for conservative surgery. Herein are reported the authors' 10-year results for mitral valve repair (MVRep) or partial homograft replacement (PHR) performed in this setting.

Methods: Data were reviewed from 19 consecutive patients who underwent MVRep using either Carpentier's technique (n = 14) or PHR (n = 5) for endocarditis at the authors' institution between 1989 and 1994.

Homograft replacement of the mitral valve in young recipients: mid-term results.

Objective: Mitral homograft (MH) can represent an interesting alternative for valve replacement in the young. However, concerns have been expressed about the durability of valve allografts in children. We report our experience with MH replacement in young patients.

[Transplantation of cryopreserved carotids in the rabbit: effect of cryoprotective agents].

The cryopreservation of blood vessels has been carried out for some decades with variable results. In order to study the behaviour of cryopreserved allografts by using new technique of cryopreservation a study on the ultrastructure arterial tissue consequences by microscopic techniques has been carried. The graft has been harvested from carotid artery of donor rabbit, implanted to a carotid artery of a recipient rabbit and extracted at 1, 3 and 5 months after the operation.

Optimization of the resistance of arterial allografts to infection: comparative study with synthetic prostheses.

Arterial allografts can be used for in situ treatment of prosthetic graft infection. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the resistance of allografts and synthetic prostheses to infection by five strains of bacteria and to study antibiotic treatments designed to reduce allograft infection. Fresh and cryopreserved allografts were compared with synthetic prostheses made of various biomaterials including PTFE, plain Dacron, gelatine-sealed Dacron, and gelatine-sealed, rifampicine-bonded Dacron.

Cryopreserved aortic allograft replacement of infected prosthetic grafts in man: processing and clinical results.

Aortic allografts preserved at 4 degrees C have been used successfully for the replacement of infected prosthetic grafts, but have a limited storage duration and this does not allow for rigourous security of the allograft. Original cryopreservation protocol has been developed, characterized by the use of polyethylene glycol 20,000 30 g/l associated with 12.5% DMSO, high concentration of antibiotics (lincomycin 300 mg/l, vancomycin 125 mg/l), controlled freezing rate, and storage in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen (-150 degrees C).