ATS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Personal Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Permission Requests
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Related Collections
Right arrowRelated Article

Ann Thorac Surg 2000;69:1331-1332
© 2000 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Discussion

Discussion

DR ROSS M. UNGERLEIDER (Durham, NC): Well, Dr Knott-Craig, you have established a tradition of presenting outstanding work year after year at the Southern Thoracic, and this year is no exception, and I too rise with you to appreciate what we have learned from Dr Elkins in pioneering the use of human valve tissue in our patients.

Your data are interesting. If not statistically significant, they certainly seem to be suggestive that over the long term the autograft may be a durable aortic valve substitute, but I am curious about two things, if you do not mind responding to them.

First, it was pointed out by you, I think quite appropriately, that there was a difference in the patient populations, and especially with respect to the increased incidence of endocarditis and other patient morbidity factors in the homograft population, and I wonder if you could comment about how that might have affected the long-term outcome for the valves in those patients? In fact, if you could specifically talk to us about what you meant by valve degeneration, as it was clear that even with valve degeneration many of these patients were still existing with their homograft valves. Indeed, considering biases of patient selection, your data would suggest that an aortic homograft is an excellent choice for aortic valve replacement over the intermediate term.

The other question I have for you is more of a philosophical one. We see many patients with bicuspid aortic valve disease and dilated ascending aortas, and there is a concern that these patients have some form of collagen vascular disease. I would interpret the data that you show to . . . [Full Text of this Article]


Related Article

Aortic valve replacement: comparison of late survival between autografts and homografts
Christopher J. Knott-Craig, Ronald C. Elkins, KathyLee Santangelo, Carolyn McCue, and Mary M. Lane
Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2000 69: 1327-1331. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]





HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
ANN THORAC SURG ASIAN CARDIOVASC THORAC ANN EUR J CARDIOTHORAC SURG
J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG ICVTS ALL CTSNet JOURNALS
Copyright © 2000 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.