Aortic valve prosthesis obstruction after aortoventriculoplasty: reconstruction with aortic allograft.

An aortoventriculoplasty (Konno procedure) operation was performed for relief of tunnel-type subaortic stenosis using a Bjork-Shiley valve aortic prosthesis. The mechanical prosthesis thrombosed and cerebral embolism occurred when anticoagulant medication was stopped. The aortic root was successfully reconstructed with a cryopreserved aortic allograft using freehand implant technique. The cryopreserved aortic allograft is an excellent replacement device in the young adult patient in cases of failed prostheses, even in the presence of complex left ventricular outflow tract morphology or previous reconstruction operations.