[Allograft (homograft) valve surgery: current status in Japan]

The advance of cryopreservation techniques has dramatically increased the durability of human allograft valves, resulting in the wide-spread use of allograft valves in many western countries except Japan. The superiority of the allograft valve to other prosthetic valves has become apparent in some specific situations such as active endocarditis, small aortic root and hemorrhagic conditions. In this manuscript, we described the setting-up of the cryopreservation laboratory, quality control and the clinical use of allograft valves in our institute. The authors believe that surgeons should have an option of utilizing allograft valves in selected patients in Japan.