J Heart Valve Dis
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Pericardium is an excellent material for reconstruction of the heart during the surgical management of certain acquired heart defects. This review details our experience with pericardium as a patch material for various parts of the left ventricle. MITRAL ANNULUS: Extensive calcification of the mitral annulus, abscess, multiple previous mitral valve replacements and rupture of the posterior wall of the left ventricle are challenging surgical problems that can be satisfactorily managed by reconstructing the mitral annulus with either fresh autologous or glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine pericardium. ⋯ RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LEFT VENTRICULAR WALL: We have also used pericardium to repair the left ventricle in patients with postinfarction ventricular septal defect. We have used a technique of infarct exclusion by suturing a properly tailored bovine pericardium to the endocardium of the left ventricle all around the infarct, excluding the left ventricular cavity from the infarcted wall. This technique has improved the outcome of surgery for this mechanical complication of myocardial infarction, particularly in patients with posterior interventricular septal rupture.