Eight years of pulmonary valve replacement with a suggestion of a promising alternative.

Unlabelled: In a retrospective study we assessed surgical results following right ventricular to pulmonary artery connection repair or replacement at a medium of 2.4 years (0-8) follow-up. Data were retrieved from hospital charts.

Results: Three hundred and sixty five operations were performed in 286 patients in eight years starting in 2000 using different surgical methods. Homografts and Monocusps had a more than 50% significantly lower risk for reoperation than Contegra or bicuspid valves (p < 0.01). Data for infants and older children and grown ups were analysed separately. In the infant group no significant difference between the different methods (homograft, Contegra and Monocusp) was detected. In older patients, the Perimount valves performed extremely well with no need for reoperation after 2.5 years of follow-up. Perimount valves and homografts performed better than other solutions (p = 0.01).

Conclusion: Although the follow-up for the Perimount valves was short, they are promising and need to be followed long-term. The homograft and the Monocusp remain valuable choices.