title: Autografts, homografts, and xenografts: overview on stentless aortic valve surgery.
abstract: Stentless valves, either human (autografts, homografts) or animal (porcine xenografts), were historically among the first substitutes to be used to replace the diseased aortic valve. Forty years after those pioneering days and 15 years after revival of such valves, stentless grafts have become a mainstay in aortic surgery. Although limitations associated with the use of autografts, homografts and xenografts remain, stentless valves have profoundly improved quality of life after aortic valve/root replacement. In addition, stentless surgery has greatly advanced the understanding of aortic root anatomy, physiology and pathology among surgeons.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. gbluciani@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Giovanni Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santini
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazzucco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation*; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D000075202:Contraindications; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D010496:Pericardium / Q000637:transplantation*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000637:transplantation*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome