Partial mitral homograft: a new technique for mitral valve repair.

Partial mitral homograft was used in 22 patients with localized lesions contraindicating a conventional valve repair. The etiologies of valve disease were: calcified rheumatic stenosis (n=14) and acute bacterial endocarditis (n=8). One patient died three months after surgery from cancer. Another patient required reoperation for residual stenosis 14 months postoperatively. All other patients had an excellent functional result with 19 patients in sinus rhythm. In this series, partial homograft replacement of the mitral valve significantly extended the possibilities of reconstructive surgery.