Allogeneous Transplantation of the Mitral Valve. An Open Question

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Abstract
To overcome the disadvantages of mechanical valves and bioprostheses, especially in the mitral position, transplantation of an allogeneous mitral valve was performed in 3 patients. One transplant had to be removed 8 weeks postoperatively, most probably due to maladjustment of the anterior leaflet during surgery. The histology of this specimen showed not clear signs of rejection. In 2 patients, echocardiography showed a normal motion pattern of the mitral valves 6 months postoperatively. Regurgitation was less than 10% of the total stroke volume as calculated by videodensitometry. Both patients were in excellent clinical condition. Mitral valve transplantation can be performed with excellent short-term results. Further studies including immunologic monitoring are necessary to evaluate the long-term behavior of the transplant.

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