Eighteen-month outcome of pulmonary valve stent implantation by direct right ventricle puncture: an animal study.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of pulmonary valve implantation via direct right ventricle puncture.


METHODS
A standard thoracotomy and direct right ventricle puncture were performed in 8 healthy sheep to implant the pulmonary valve stents. Animals were followed up for 18 months.


RESULTS
Three sheep died within the first 4 months after stent placement. The remaining 5 animals survived. After 18 months, examinations by color echocardiography, 64-slice computed tomography scan, and cardiac catheter showed an ideal position of each stent. The function of the pulmonary valves and hearts was not different compared with the preoperative conditions of the sheep. Anatomic examination revealed that the stent was covered by a layer of endothelial tissue with no stent fracture or valvular calcification. The histologic evaluation of the stent and surrounding tissue showed that the surface of the stent was smooth and covered by a complete layer of endothelial cells without obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells. The vascular wall was integrative without tear phenomenon in each layer of tissue.


CONCLUSIONS
These results show that pulmonary valve stents can be implanted via direct right ventricle puncture. Further studies evaluating xenograft valve material and the effect of implantation in vivo are needed.
Department of Cardiology, 101 Hospital of PLA, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China.
Gang-Jun
GJ
Zong
Yuan
Y
Bai
Ming-Biao
MB
Gu
Hai-Bin
HB
Jiang
Hong
H
Wu
Xian-Xian
XX
Zhao
Yong-Wen
YW
Qin
D000818:Animals; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D008297:Male; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000166:cytology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011677:Punctures; D012756:Sheep; D015607:Stents; D013908:Thoracotomy; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed