Autologous fascia lata cardiac valve replacement.

Prosthetic cardiac valve replacement has been carried out at Brugmann University Hospital since 1962. In a series of 370 valvular replacements, operative and hospital deaths have attained a low rate (5%). The overall survival of 70% is comparable to that of most published series. Late thromboembolic complications, in spite of longterm anticoagulant therapy, remain the principal disadvantage of prosthetic valves. The early success of valvular replacement with autologous fascia lata, as described by Ionescu et al. (1970), prompted us to adopt this technique.