Cardiovascular Tissue Banking and Transplantation

Cardiovascular tissue banking has been carried out in Europe for over 30 years, showing some controversial results over time. In EU countries each year, about 2,000 heart valves and about 1,500 vascular allografts are implanted for elective and emergency cases. Follow-up studies after implantation of these tissues have shown excellent results in some adult patients and some controversial results in young patients and infants.

In the last decade, the issue of tissue rejection has been mentioned as an important factor for premature deterioration of vascular allografts after their implantation in patients. Therefore, researchers have suggested decellularization of these tissues to eliminate or attenuate this reaction and increase their durability. According to two European clinical trials (ESPOIR and ARISE) with implantation of decellularized pulmonary and aortic valves, respectively, the clinical outcome of these allografts was superior, compared to the conventional, cryopreserved valves.

In this Topical Collection, we would like to offer insight into and evaluate the results of cardiovascular allograft transplantation over the last three decades, while also sharing information about new developments in the field.