The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 22, 188-194, Copyright © 1976 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
The effects of sterilization and storage treatments on the stress- strain behavior of aortic valve leaflets
AJ Tan and DL Holt
An investigation was made of the feasibility of using tensile tests to
detect alterations in the molecular structure of aortic valve tissue
brought about by sterilizing or storage treatments. Stress-strain tests
were carried out on fresh valve leaflets from pigs and repeated with the
same specimens after specified sterilization or storage treatments. It was
found that the stress at a given strain was increased by treatment with
ethylene oxide, buffered formalin, and tissue culture solution and
decreased by treatment with antibiotics. The least change was with tissue
culture solution and antibiotics. It has been suggested that the best
method of allograft sterilization should involve minimal structural
alteration to the collagen and elastic components of the tissue. Thus,
treatment with tissue culture solution and antibiotics seems appropriate.