[Method to make the tricuspid extracardiac conduit by heterogeneous pericardium]

We described here, how to make tricuspid extracardiac conduit by heterogeneous pericardium for Rastelli procedure. We have developed some ingenious devices which allow to obtain good hemodynamics. One of the devices is large valvular leaflets as long as 130% of the circumference of the conduit. Another device is the commissural suture as figure of eight. We used 121 tricuspid extracardiac conduits between January 1985 and March 1991. There were two reoperations: One from stenosis at the suture with ventricle and the other from infective endocarditis. This hand-made conduit has the advantages of flexibility, fitness with the pulmonary artery, wide range of size and very little regurgitation. These advantages indicate that the tricuspid extracardiac conduit made by heterogeneous pericardium is a valved conduit substitute of choice for Rastelli procedure. The durability of the conduit is to be further evaluated.