Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Post-mortem shrinkage of homograft aortic valves
  1. F. Dexter,
  2. R. J. Donnelly,
  3. P. B. Deverall,
  4. D. A. Watson
  1. Leeds Regional Tissue Bank, Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield
  2. Leeds Regional Cardio-thoracic Surgical Centre, Killingbeck Hospital, Leeds

    Abstract

    Experience has shown that some frame-mounted homograft aortic valves, although competent immediately after mounting, are incompetent when subsequently presented for surgical use. Retraction and shrinkage of the cusps appears to be the cause of this change. Clinical and experimental studies have shown that shrinkage of homograft aortic valves occurs over an approximately five-day period after death of the donor and it is recommended that this period should elapse before mounting homograft aortic valves on to support frames.

    Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.