Mitral valve replacement with aortic heterografts in humans.

use of artificial valves and as the experimental methods of grafting the mitral valve did not prove satisfactory for clinical use, the authors developed a technique for mitral valve replacement using heterologous aortic valves-reinforced by a semirigid Teflon ring-placed above the mitral annulus inside the atrial cavity. The technique of collecting, preparing, and inserting these grafts is described in detail. Using this method, seven patients with mitral incompetence or mitral disease