Novel Use of Extracellular Matrix Graft for Creation of Pulmonary Valved Conduit

Abstract

We report the use of a commercially available graft material to create a trileaflet pulmonary valved conduit, which was implanted in a 12-year-old girl with mixed aortic valve disease as part of a Ross procedure. The patient presented with severe aortic insufficiency and left ventricular dilatation following balloon valvuloplasty. The patient lives in Ecuador, where most commonly used replacements for the pulmonary valve are either unavailable or unaffordable. Our technique involves the use of porcine small intestinal submucosal extracellular matrix (SIS-ECM), commercially available as CorMatrix ECM (CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc, Tallahassee, Florida) to create a trileaflet-valved conduit.