Use of Aortic Valve Homografts for Aortic Valve Replacement

One hundred sixty-nine patients underwent replacement of the aortic valve with an aortic valve homograft; of these patients 17 had concomitant commissurotomy or annuloplasty for an associated mitral valve lesion. Homografts were prepared by sterilization with beta-propiolactone solution and stored in Hanks' solution, or were prepared by sterilization with irradiation and stored at -70 C. Operative mortality was 5.3%. Thirty (19%) of the 160 surviving patients had an aortic diastolic murmur at the time of hospital dismissal, and five of these patients had hemodynamically significant homograft incompetence. For 156 patients, follow-up was longer than 6 months; among the 147 patients who survived operation, there were 12 late deaths. Eighty-four per cent (132) of these 156 patients were alive and well 6 to 54 months after operation. Six patients have required reoperation for valve incompetence. An aortic diastolic murmur was present in 43% of patients. Five patients had significant valve incompetence; four of these patients are markedly improved over their preoperative status. Thromboembolism has been a rare complication despite the fact that anticoagulant therapy was not used. Late calcification of the homograft valve has been noted in only one patient.