Decellularized pulmonary homograft

Decellularized pulmonary homograft

Decellularized pulmonary homograft is an allograft recovered from cadavers and specially processed to remove cells so that what remains is a scaffold of connective tissue. It is less likely to initiate an immune response and allograft rejection process. A recent study by Serghei Cebotari, Igor Tudorache, Anatol Ciubotaru, Dietmar Boethig, Samir Sarikouch, Adelheid Goerler, Artur Lichtenberg, Eduard Cheptanaru, Sergiu Barnaciuc, Anatol Cazacu, Oxana Maliga, Oleg Repin, Liviu Maniuc, Thomas Breymann and Axel Haverich [1] compared fresh decellularized pulmonary homografts with glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine jugular valve and cryopreserved homografts.

Echocardiography did not show increase of transvalvular gradient, cusp thickening, or aneurysmatic dilatation with decellularized homograft. Decellularized pulmonary homograft valve annulus showed adaptive growth with z-values which tended towards normal. There were no explantations on five year follow up in the study group while it was needed in twelve to fourteen percent of cases in the groups implanted with bovine jugular valve and cryopreserved homografts. While the mean transvalvar gradient was eleven millimeter of mercury in the decellularized pulmonary homograft group, it was twenty three millimeters of mercury in the bovine jugular valve group. Of the thirty eight person who had the homografts implanted three had moderate regurgitation, which remained static on follow up.

Reference

1. Serghei Cebotari, Igor Tudorache, Anatol Ciubotaru, Dietmar Boethig, Samir Sarikouch, Adelheid Goerler, Artur Lichtenberg, Eduard Cheptanaru, Sergiu Barnaciuc, Anatol Cazacu, Oxana Maliga, Oleg Repin, Liviu Maniuc, Thomas Breymann, Axel Haverich. Use of Fresh Decellularized Allografts for Pulmonary Valve Replacement May Reduce the Reoperation Rate in Children and Young Adults. Circulation. 2011; 124: S115-S123.