Comparison of different anticalcification treatments for stentless bioprostheses.

Abstract

New anticalcificant treatments have been developed because tissue calcification is a major contributing factor for bioprosthetic valve failure. Aortic valve leaflet and aortic root tissue samples from stentless bioprostheses treated with No-React (Biocor, Belo Horizonte, Brazil), AOA (Medtronic freestyle, Minneapolis, MN), and BiLinx (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN) were compared to a control group by subcutaneous implantation in 60 male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats. Calcium levels were in the range of 0.3 to 2.2 mg/g dry tissue at 3 and 12 weeks in all three treated aortic valve leaflet implants. The BiLinx treatment proved anticalcificant effectiveness on aortic root samples as well. There were statistically significant differences for valve leaflet tissue samples: No-React = AOA < BiLinx < < Control and for aortic root tissue samples: BiLinx < < AOA < Control = No-React. Calcification of aortic valve leaflets was significantly reduced by all new anticalcificant treatments. Inhibition of cellular calcification (BiLinx) resulted in additional reduction of aortic root calcification. Maximum anticalcificant properties upon both leaflet and aortic root is important as these are considered a functional unit in stentless bioprostheses.