• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 1983

Fifty-Seven Cases of tricuspid valve replacement were done from April 1976 to January 1983. Fourteen congenital and 43 acquired cases were found. In 13 cases tricuspid valve alone was replaced with 2 operative deaths and one late deaths. In 35 cases TVR and MVR were done with 6 operative deaths and 6 late deaths. In 9 cases TVR, MVR, and AVR were done with one operative deaths. Over all operative mortality was 15.8% and late mortality 12.3% among the 48 survivors. Over all Survival rate was 71.9% during follow-up period ranging from 8 months to 6 years and 9 months. In every case TVR was done with bioprosthetic xenograft valves.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.92-99
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• 1980

From 1958 up to the end of April 1980, during the period of 12 years 1640 cardiac surgery cases including 1069 open heart surgery and 304 valve replacement cases, were operated in this Department. There were 1070 congenital anomaly and 570 acquired disease cases. In 1070 congenital anomaly cases 673 acyanotic and 397 cyanotic anomaly patients were noted. In acquired diseases 94 pericardial and 456 valvular cases were found. Among 456 valve cases 189 mitral stenosis, 133 mitral insufficiency, 30 aortic valve lesion, 97 double valve, and 7 triple valve lesion patients were noted. Among 304 valve replacement cases 209 mitral, 34 aortic, 5 tricuspid, 34 aortic with mitral, 20 mitral with tricuspid, and 2 triple valves were replaced. Annual increase `of open heart surgery cases and decrease of operative deaths were remarkable in recent years. In recent years Shiley** oxygenator in pump-oxygenator set up and Ionescu** bovine pericardial xenograft bioprosthesis were used for valve replacement mainly.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.830-833
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• 2000

Homograft has been the conduit of choice in various types of congenital malformations which require right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction. However it has been proven to be less than ideal in young age group because of early failure of the conduite due to valve dysfunction and calcification. Furthermore limitation of availability of homograft particularly small sized conduits for neonates and infants is the most serious problem. A 19 month old female patient with pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect was operated on with a bovine jugular venous valved conduit as an alternative to the homograft for her right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction. Postoperative hemodynamic performance of the conduit was excellent without pressure gradient or valve regurgitation. With this early result bovine jugular venous valved conduit seems to be another excellent conduit because of good hemodynamics and size availability but long term follow up is necessary.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.158-166
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• 1992

From 1985 to 1990, a total of 160 new valves were implanted for 125 adult patients to whom prosthetic valve replacement had been performed [One patient had consecutive 2 reoperations]. Following data are the results from the follow-up study from January 1985 to February 1991. Mean age of the patients was 37.9$\pm$12.1 years. Mean follow-up period was 25.8$\pm$18.8 months. In bioprosthesis, mean interval between the previous operation and reoperation was 85.6$\pm$36.4 months in aortic valve, and 87.3$\pm$30.0 months in mitral valve. The causes of reoperation were prosthetic valve failure[103 patients, 81.7%], prosthetic valve endocarditis[17 patients, 13.5%], periprosthetic leakage[5 patients, 4.0%], and aneurysm of ascending aorta[1 patient, 0.8%]. Fourteen patients[11.1%] died in hospital; 5 in 22 replacement of aortic valve[22.7%], 6 in 73 rereplacement of mitral valve[8.2%], and 3 in 31 replacement of multiple valves [9.7%] Except for 3 intraoperative deaths, postoperative, major and minor complications occurred in 39 patients[31.0%]. And the actuarial 5-year survival rate of operative survivors was 95.5$\pm$8.6%.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.506-510
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• 1983

Valve dysfunction can be caused by thickening or contraction of a fibrous sheath covering a cusp of a porcine bioprosthesis, but this is uncommon. This complication appears to more frequent in other bioprostheses, such as fascia late valves and homografts, in which fibrous sheaths seems to grow more rapidly. rapidly. Thus the slow and limited growth of fibrous sheath in porcine bioprostheses is advantageous in this respect. Recently, we experienced a case of valve dysfunction caused by fibrous tissue overgrowth on Hancock mitral xenograft in 45 year old female. 3.5 years ago, the patient was received valve replacement due to mitral stenoinsufficiency. But since 2.5 years elapsed after operation, she has complained of generalized edema and dyspnea, and their symptoms were aggravated progressively. So reoperation was performed under the diagnosis as valve dysfunction of mitral xenograft and newly developed tricuspid insufficiency. Her postoperative courses were good.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.706-710
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• 1988

Intravascular hemolysis occurs in the majority of patient with mechanical valve prosthesis. The primary cause is mechanical trauma to red cells from turbulent blood flow through the prosthesis. Degree of hemolysis is dependent upon the type, size and material of valve and aggravated by paravalvular leakage. Clinically important hemolytic anemia is required medical management or consideration of reoperation. In severe hemolysis, reoperation is recommended without delay when seems to be renal failure. In this case, postoperative severe mechanical hemolysis was developed immediately after aortic valve replacement with St. Jude medical valve in a 13 year-old male patient. Neither significant paravalvular leakage nor valvular dysfunction was found through redo, but the mechanical valve was strongly suspected the cause of severe hemolysis. The St. Jude Medical valve was changed with Ionescu-Shiley bioprosthesis and any significant clinical problems were not noted through the postoperative course.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2009

Background: As cardiovascular operations become more complex and sophisticated, there is an increasing need for various bioprostheses for use as components of blood vessels and heart valves. We developed a fatigue stimuli test instrument to objectively evaluate the mechanical durability of a bioprosthesis, and we tested several currently known processing methods for bovine pericardium and we then compared the results. Material and Method: Fresh bovine pericardium was collected at the butcher shop with using aseptic technique, and each piece of pericardium was fixated and/or decellularized by 16 representative methods. We measured the permeability and compliance of the processed bovine pericardium samples, and measured them again after exposure to the fatigue stimuli. All the pieces of pericardium underwent microscopic examinations before and after the fatigue stimuli. Result: A mixture of glutaraldehyde and solvent treatment showed better mechanical durability than did the single glutaraldehyde treatment. High concentration glutaraldehyde treatment showed equal or no worse results than did low concentration glutaraldehyde treatment. After SDS (sodium dodecylsulfate) decellularization, the mechanical property of the bioprosthesis became much worse ($20{\sim}190$ times) and the mechanical durability to the fatigue stimuli was also very poor. Conclusion: We obtained the basic durability data after various fixation methods with using a home-made fatigue test instrument.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.170-176
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• 2008

Background: Bioprosthetic devices for treating cardiovascular diseases and defects may provide alternatives to autologous and homograft tissue. We evaluated the mechanical and physical conditions of a porcine pericardial bioprosthesis treated with Glutaraldehyde (GA), Ethanol, or Sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) before implantation. Material and Method: 1) Thirty square-shaped pieces of porcine pericardium were fixed in 0.625%, 1.5% or 3% GA solution. 2) The tensile strength and thickness of these and other bioprosthesis, including fresh porcine pericardium, fresh human pericardium, and commercially produced heterografts, were measured. 3) The tensile strength and thickness of the six treated groups (GA-Ethanol, Ethanol-GA, SDS only, SDS-GA, Ethanol-SDS-GA and SDS-Ethanol-GA) were measured. Result: 1) Porcine pericardium fixed in 0.625% GA the thinnest and had the lowest tensile strength, with thickness and tensile strength increasing with the concentration of GA solution. The relationship between tensile strength and thickness of porcine pericardium increased at thicknesses greater than 0.1mm (correlation-coefficient 0.514, 0<0.001). 2) There were no differences in tensile strength or thickness between commercially-produced heterografts. 3) Treatment of GA, ethanol, or SDS minimally influenced thickness and tensile strength of porcine pericardium, except for SDS alone. Conclusion: Porcine pericardial bioprosthesis greater than 0.1 mm thick provide better handling and advantageous tensile strength. GA fixation did not cause physical or mechanical damage during anticalcification or decellularization treatment, but combining SDS-ethanol pre-treatment and GA fixation provided the best tensile strength and thickness.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.1 s.270
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Backgound: It has been shown that the endothelium of cardiac valves and adjacent great vessels have a reduced immune reaction compared to other vessels. We investigated the clinical feasibility of using immunologically untreated xenogenic valves, in a pig-to-goat pulmonary valve conduit implantation model. Material and Method: Porcine pulmonary valve conduits were prepared without specific immunologic treatment and implanted into the right ventricular outflow tract of goats while undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Two goats each were assigned to the following observation time intervals: one day, one week, three months, six months and twelve months. Echo-cardiographic examinations were performed prior to sacrifice of the goat to evaluate pulmonary valve function. After the xenograft specimens were retrieved, histological changes were evaluated microscopically. Result: Ten of the twelve animals survived the predetermined observation time intervals. Aneurysmal dilatations, of the anterior wall of the implanted pulmonary artery, were observed at each of three and twelve month-survival animals. A variable degree of pulmonary valve regurgitation was observed on echocardiography. However, valve stenosis, thrombotic occlusion and vegetation were not seen. Microscopically, the nuclei of the donor tissue disappeared as a result of pyknosis and karyolysis; however the three components of the implanted xenografts (the pulmonary artery, the valve and the infundibulum) were gradually replaced by host cells over time, while maintaining their structural integrity. Conclusion: Immunologically untreated xenogenic pulmonary valve conduits were replaced by host cells with few observed clinical problems in a pig to goat pulmonary valve implantation model. Therefore, they might be an alternative bioprosthesis option.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 2022

Background: While the use of bioprosthetic valves for mitral valve replacement (MVR) is increasing, very few studies have compared bovine pericardial and porcine valves in the mitral position to help guide bioprosthetic selection. Methods: In the present study, patients who underwent MVR using bovine pericardial valves were compared with those who underwent MVR with porcine bioprostheses between January 1996 and July 2018. Those with prior MVR, infective endocarditis, congenital mitral valve disease, or ischemic mitral regurgitation were excluded. The primary outcomes were structural valve deterioration (SVD) and mitral valve reoperation from any cause, and death was regarded as a competing risk. Competing risk analysis and propensity score-matching were used for comparisons. Results: Among the 388 patients enrolled, pericardial and porcine bioprostheses were implanted in 217 (55.9%) and 171 (44.1%), respectively. Propensity score-matching yielded 122 pairs of patients that were well-balanced for all baseline covariates. No significant differences were observed between the groups in unadjusted (p=0.09) and adjusted overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-1.76; p=0.60). Competing risk analysis revealed no significant differences in the risks of mitral reoperation (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.50-2.27; p=0.86) and development of SVD (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.56-4.36; p=0.39) between the groups. Matched population analysis confirmed similar results regarding reoperation (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.40-3.22; p=0.98) and SVD (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.41-4.73; p=0.60). Conclusion: No significant differences in survival or valve durability were observed between bovine pericardial and porcine bioprosthetic MVR. These findings require further validation through studies with larger sample sizes.