Freedom SOLO valve: early- and intermediate-term results of a single centre's first 100 cases.

Objective: The Freedom SOLO aortic valve is a bovine pericardial stentless valve, which requires only one suture line. The aim of our single-centre retrospective study was to assess postoperative and intermediate-term haemodynamic results of the first 100 consecutively implanted valves.

Methods: One hundred patients (39 male and 61 female) underwent aortic valve replacement with a Freedom SOLO from November 2006 to January 2008.

Prospective randomized study of early pulmonary evaluation of patients scheduled for aortic valve surgery performed by ministernotomy or total median sternotomy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the respiratory function of patients operated either with a ministernotomy or with a conventional sternotomy for an aortic valve replacement.

Design: A prospective randomized study.

Setting: A single-institution university hospital.