The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Apr 2015
Editorial Case ReportsIntraoperative ultrasound imaging of coronary artery ostial stenosis.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Apr 2015
An experimental model of the Ross operation: Development of resorbable reinforcements for pulmonary autografts.
To circumvent the issue of pulmonary autograft (PA) dilation after the Ross procedure, surgical reinforcement strategies have been suggested in clinical or anecdotal series. However, no preclinical large-animal model of the Ross procedure is available, which is needed to enable full comprehension of the pathologic mechanisms and the effectiveness of reinforcement techniques during growth. Our aim was to develop a large-animal model of the Ross operation, to reproduce the clinical scenario in which this procedure might be applied, and allow for development and testing of various devices and techniques to improve PA performance. In addition, we aimed to test the effectiveness of a bioresorbable mesh for PA reinforcement. ⋯ We developed an easy and reproducible model of the Ross procedure, allowing for a reliable simulation of the clinical scenario. Resorbable PA reinforcement may represent an interesting option in this context.