Pulmonary autograft for mitral valve replacement in infants: the Ross-Kabbani operation.

We describe the cases of 2 infants aged 6 and 2 1/2 months, respectively, affected by mitral valve dysplasia that caused severe valvular insufficiency and heart failure in which a surgical correction was indicated because of critical general conditions. In both patients the anatomic characteristics of the valves were not suitable for repair, and an implant of a mechanical prosthesis was excluded because of the very young age of the infants and the impossibility of maintaining an adequate anticoagulant therapy. Therefore a Ross-Kabbani intervention was performed with an implant of a pulmonary autograft (in the mitral position) and an insertion of a pulmonary homograft. The postoperative course was free of major complications and good function of the autograft was present at short-term follow-up in both cases.