Durability of right ventricular conduits in the Ross procedure

Right ventricular (RV) conduit availability and degeneration are potential limitations of the Ross procedure. Pulmonary homografts are the gold standard, but their limited availability drives the need for alternatives. The aim of this study was to compare results of different RV conduits. Between 1995 and 2023, 315 consecutive patients (73% males; mean age, 37 ± 12 years) underwent a Ross procedure using a homograft (n = 211), bovine jugular vein (BJV) (n = 34), or xenograft (n = 70) as the RV conduit. The mean follow-up was 5.7 ± 6.7 years and was 96% complete (1631 patient-years). Twelve patients (homograft, n = 8; BJV. n = 3; xenograft, n = 1) required RV conduit reintervention, including 4 patients within 4 years (all with homografts). Indications for reintervention were degeneration in 8 patients and active endocarditis in 4 patients. Reinterventions included RV conduit replacement (homograft, n = 3; xenograft, n = 1; BJV, n = 2) and transcatheter valve implantation (homograft n = 5; BJV, n = 1). At 15 years, freedom from RV conduit reintervention was 88%, and freedom from reoperation was 93%. Freedom from reintervention at 15 years was similar in the homograft (89%), BJV (89%), and xenograft (100%) groups (P = .812). Progression of mean RV conduit gradient was lowest for the BJV group (1.45 mm Hg/year) and similar in the homograft (2.6 mm Hg/year) and xenograft (2.9 mm Hg/year) groups. Age at