The results of this study showed that during 10 years of follow-up, the overall survival and the functional status of the survivors after an extracardiac Fontan procedure were satisfactory. We might infer that fenestration provided benefit inasmuch as the high-risk Fontan patients fenestrated had similar outcomes to those not fenestrated, who were presumably low risk. The incidence of late death, reoperation, obstruction of the cavopulmonary pathway, arrhythmias, and thromboembolism was low.

PVR reduced the RV volume and improved the RV function within the first postoperative year. The rate of freedom from reoperation during the 10-year follow-up period in our series was acceptable. However, a longer follow-up will be necessary to determine the long-term outcomes of bioprosthetic valves in PVR.

Genipin fixation is a novel alternative to conventional GA fixation in vitro material assessment and in vivo anticalcification effect. The addition of decellularization, organic solvent treatment, and detoxification prevented calcification of GA/genipin-fixed bovine pericardium in the rabbit intramuscular implantation model, irrespective of the type of organic solvent and amino acids.

No abstract