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Mid-Term Experience with Valved Bovine Jugular Vein Conduits

Malgorzata Pawelec-Wojtalik, PhD, Wojciech Mrówczyski, PhD¹, Andrzej Wodziski, PhD¹, Michal Wojtalik, PhD¹, Jacek Henschke, PhD¹, Girish K Sharma, PhD¹

Department of Pediatric Radiology
¹ Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland

For reprint information contact: Wojciech Mrówczyski, PhD Tel: 48 61 849 1277 Fax: 48 61 866 9130 Email: wjmrow{at}amp.edu.pl, Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 27/33 Szpitalna, Poznan 60-572, Poland.

From June 1999 to January 2004, 43 children underwent implantation of a valved bovine jugular vein conduit and correction of complex congenital heart defects. Median age was 1.98 years (range, 11 days – 13.3 years). There were 7 early deaths (16.3%) unrelated to conduit failure or thrombosis. Median follow-up of 36 survivors was 24 months (range, 1–48 months, quartile range, 12–48 months), total follow-up was 78 patient-years. There were 3 late deaths (8.3%) due to infection, pulmonary thromboembolism, and sudden cardiac arrest after re-operation to repair a right ventricular outflow tract aneurysm. There were 2 conduit explantations due to dysfunction and suspected endocarditis. Three patients underwent balloon dilatation of distal stenoses. The mean peak gradient through the pulmonary anastomosis was 15 mm Hg (range, 3–42 mm Hg) among patients free from re-intervention. No severe valve regurgitation was observed. Freedom from re-intervention was 72% at 48 months. This conduit remains a good alternative to homografts. Causes of distal stenosis must be clarified, guidelines for prophylactic anticoagulation must be created, and the role of percutaneous balloon dilatation established.