The Ross operation: utilization of the patient's own pulmonary valve as a replacement device for the diseased aortic valve

Prosthetic heart valves have been outpaced by progress in cardiac surgery. Early biologic valve prostheses consisted of tissues mounted on a rigid stent, and did not require anticoagulation, but rarely survived two decades. Subsequently, durable mechanical valve prostheses dominated despite, the requisite anticoagulation. The mechanical design remains imperfect, with obstruction to flow, turbulence, hematological changes and also, occasionally audible clicks. Reports documenting superior function for cryopreserved human aortic heart valves (homografts) without these problems, albeit with limited durability, followed. The marketing of 'stentless biologic valves', mimicking these attributes was a reaction to the shortage of homografts. These imperfections explain the rediscovery of the Ross operation, in which the patient's pulmonary valve (autograft) is excised to replace the aortic valve. The autograft is living tissue, complete with attributes of a healthy heart valve, including growth and durability. The pulmonary valve, where lower pressure and oxygen saturation retards degeneration, is substituted with a pulmonary homograft. The Ross operation is exacting and leaves the patient with two potentially malfunctioning valves.