Early Experience With Stentless Valved Conduit Bioprostheses For Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Reconstruction

AIM: To evaluate and verify the efficacy and safety of new stentless valved conduit bioprostheses (SVCB) in right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction.METHODS: ROVT reconstruction was performed with SVCB in 16 patients (15 Rastelli and 1 Nikaidoh procedure) between November 2007 and May 2009. The implanted SVCB was evaluated by Doppler echocardiography after operation with the following parameters: pulmonary artery pressure, flow velocity, the pulmonary transvalvular pressure gradient (PG), valve orifice area, regurgitation, conduit diameter, dilatation and remote anastomotic pressure gradient.RESULTS: 1 case died of left heart failure 3 days post-operation, the other 15 patients were healing well after operation without valved conduit-related complications, such as anastomotic bleeding, endocarditis, and thromboembolism. By serial echocardiography, no apparent signs of valve regurgitation, calcification or degeneration were observed in the conduits during the whole follow-up period. CONCLUSION: New type SVCB developed by our department has the merits of good flexibility, easily surgical handling and less immunal rejection. It has good anti-regurgitation and PG effect post-operation, which facilitates cardiac function recovery.