Handmade tri-leaflet ePTFE conduits versus homografts for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction

Background This study aimed to investigate the performance of handmade tri-leaflet expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) conduits in the absence of a suitable homograft. Methods Patients who underwent right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction with tri-leaflet ePTFE conduits or homografts between December 2016 and August 2020 were included. The primary endpoint was the incidence of moderate or severe conduit stenosis (≥ 36 mmHg) and/or moderate or severe insufficiency. The secondary endpoint was the incidence of severe conduit stenosis (≥ 64 mmHg) and/or severe insufficiency. Results There were 102 patients in the ePTFE group and 52 patients in the homograft group. The median age was younger [34.5 (interquartile range: 20.8–62.8) vs. 60.0 (interquartile range: 39.3–81.0) months, P = 0.001] and the median weight was lower [13.5 (10.0–19.0) vs. 17.8 (13.6–25.8) kg, P = 0.003] in the ePTFE group. The conduit size was smaller (17.9 ± 2.2 vs. 20.5 ± 3.0 mm, P