A stentless trileaflet valve from a sheet of decellularized porcine small intestinal submucosa.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the function of a trileaflet pulmonary valve constructed from a sheet of porcine small intestinal submucosa.


METHODS
In four sheep, the native pulmonary valve and a segment of the pulmonary trunk was excised and replaced with a trileaflet valve constructed from decellularized porcine small intestinal submucosa. The valve construct was created from a sheet of the xenograft material by a method of involuting flaps of tissue inside a cylinder of itself. The function of the valve was assessed by echocardiography, catheter pullback across the valve, and observation of an excised valve in a flow simulator.


RESULTS
The valve constructs exhibited low gradients and symmetrical leaflet movement with good mobility when tested under physiologic conditions in an acute sheep model.


CONCLUSIONS
This method offers a means to create a functional trileaflet valve replacement from a sheet of tissue.
White
Jennifer K
JK
Division of Cardiac Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. jkwhite@partners.org
Agnihotri
Arvind K
AK
Titus
James S
JS
Torchiana
David F
DF
D000818:Animals; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D007421:Intestine, Small; D011664:Pulmonary Valve; D012756:Sheep