Reconstruction of Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Using Cryopreserved Valved Homograft Conduit

Objective To reconstruct the right ventricular outflow tract using cryopreserved valved homograft conduit(VHC) and to review the curative effects and remaining problems. Methods Ninety-five patients with complex congenital heart disease were treated from Nov.1989 to Feb.2000.The diagnosis included: transposition of the great artery, double outlet right ventricle, tetralogy of Fallot, persistent truncus arteriosus and aortic stenosis. The corrective operations were performed in 90 cases, and palliative operations in 5 cases. Results The hospital mortality was 13.7%, and 68 cases were followed up from 1 month to 8 years postoperatively with 25 cases showed calcification in VHC by chest X-ray, but only 5 cases had mild to moderate pressure gradient across the conduit. Conclusion VHC can be used to treat almost all kind of congenital heart diseases; aortic VHCs are liable to calcificate than pulmonic VHCs; to keep the VHC in good condition, programed cooling, cryopreserving and two-stage melting were important and should always be concerned with VHC infection.