Use of Valved Conduits to Repair Complex Congenital Heart Defects

For many years, complex congenital cardiac lesions such as pulmonary atresia, tricuspid atresia, and truncus arteriosus, could be palliated but not corrected. In 1965, Rastelli and associates [1] reported the establishment of continuity between the light ventricle and the pulmonary artery using pericardial tube. In 1966, Ross and Somerville[2] described the repair of pulmonary atresia using a valve containing aortic homograft. This conduit was initially sterilized with irradiation but long term follow-up indicated late calcification of the homograft frequently resulting in stenosis and requiring reoperation. In 1973 [3] use of a dacron conduit containing a gluteraldehyde preserved porcine valve was described and became commercially available in a variety of sizes solving the logistical problems of homograft procurement.