Aortic valve replacement with the stentless bovine pericardial valve: early experience with the Sorin valve

Since the first valve replacement by Starr and Edwards1 and Harken et al.2 in 1960, none of the currently available prosthetic heart valves approaches the normal human valve in terms of haemodynamic function or freedom from valve-related complications. Mechanical valves are thrombogenic and long-term anticoagulation is associated with the risk of bleeding. Structural degeneration of the xenograft valves limits their durability.