Intermediate results of aortic valve replacement with the Toronto SPV valve

There has been considerable interest in aortic valve replacement (AVR) with stentless bioprostheses due to the low gradients observed and the evidence for regression of left ventricular (LV) mass and hypertrophy.1-3 We implanted 127 stentless porcine bioprostheses between March 1992 and March 1997; the initial 88 patients were part of an international, multicentre, phase II FDA prospective clinical trial which was reported earlier.2 This chapter presents our continued clinical experience and documents the haemodynamic benefits of the stentless porcine aortic valve in 116 patients during intermediate term follow-up (3-48 months, mean 18 months).