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Background: Transferring the posterior leaflet of the patient's own tricuspid valve with its subvalvular apparatus to the mitral valve is a new technique that allows a conservative approach to mitral-valve repair. The technique is based on the knowledge that the tricuspid valve can be remodelled from tricuspid to bicuspid, with a very low risk of significant dysfunction., Methods: We describe six patients (age range 20-70 years) with mitral insufficiency in whom we have used the technique., Findings: All patients survived the operation and were in sinus rhythm. Transoesophageal echocardiography before discharge showed trivial or no regurgitation at the site of mitral repair. Before operation, all patients were in New York Heart Association class III-IV; at follow-up after 6-13 months all patients were in class I-II., Interpretation: Compared with using segments of mitral homografts in similar situations, the intraoperative availability of the tricuspid's viable natural chordae and valvular leaflet means that there are no immunological disadvantages to the procedure. With this new operation, the patient is his own tissue bank.

In two patients who had Budd-Chiari syndrome secondary to carcinoma, the diagnosis was made intraoperatively at the time of emergency right atrial clearance required for severe cardiovascular distress. Curative resection was not possible and both patients died. As previously noted in the literature, it is extremely difficult to relate carcinoma to the origin of Budd-Chiari syndrome. Retro- and suprahepatic involvement of the vena cava is associated with a very poor prognosis. Complete resection of these tumors is the only potentially curative treatment. We suggest ways to obtain a simple and early histologic diagnosis before initiating appropriate and radical surgical treatment.

From August 1991 to June 1994, 150 patients underwent aortic valve replacement with the O'Brien-Angell stentless porcine xenograft (Bravo Cardiovascular Model 300, Cryolife, Atlanta, GA). To establish trends we analyzed three consecutive groups of 50 patients. We found significant differences in low postoperative gradients (mean < or = 10 mm Hg): 24% in group 1, 42% in group 2, and 96% in group 3. Comparing groups 1 and 3, gradients were significantly lower in all valve sizes. The difference is credited to better supraannular positioning of the valve, which is the key to the learning curve. Trivial central regurgitation was present in the three groups at 6%, 12%, and 0%, respectively. Peripheral regurgitation was trivial in 6%, 8%, and 0%, and mild to moderate in 4%, 2% and 0%, respectively. Seventy-eight of 107 patients with an available follow-up exceeding 1 year had noninvasive controls. Two early cases with moderate perivalvular leaks evolved to moderately severe leaks. Two valves were explanted. The O'Brien-Angell stentless valve is easy to handle and correct supraannular positioning provides excellent hemodynamic results.