title: A stentless trileaflet valve from a sheet of decellularized porcine small intestinal submucosa.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. jkwhite@partners.org
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Arvind K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Agnihotri
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Titus
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Torchiana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D007421:Intestine, Small; D011664:Pulmonary Valve; D012756:Sheep