1. Ten-year experience with handmade trileaflet polytetrafluoroethylene valved conduit used for pulmonary reconstruction 
Makoto Ando, MD, Yukihiro Takahashi, MD 
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 
Volume 137, Issue 1, Pages (January 2009)
DOI: /j.jtcvs
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

2. Figure 1
Schematic drawings of the steps of conduit construction. The width of each grid on the polytetrafluoroethylene sheet (a) is determined as follows: [(Diameter of the Dacron conduit) × 1.05] in millimeters. The height of each grid (b) is determined as follows: (a × 0.8) in millimeters. The created polytetrafluoroethylene valve is fixed inside the Dacron conduit by suturing the top (1) and bottom (2) ends. After fixing the valve, each valve is sutured together at the point of a 1-mm distance from each commissure (3) to improve valve coaptation. The outer layer of the polytetrafluoroethylene valve is then sutured at the midpoint (4) to the conduit to avoid free floating.
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

3. Figure 2
Grids are drawn on the polytetrafluoroethylene sheet (A). The folded sheet is separated by suture lines to create 3 pockets (B). Both sides are then sutured together (C) to create a syringe-shaped trileaflet valve (D).
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

4. Figure 3
The valve is pushed inside (A) and fixed onto the Dacron conduit by suturing the top and bottom ends of the polytetrafluoroethylene valve (B). Commissural sutures are placed at the point of a 1-mm distance from the commissure (arrow in C). The outer layer of the polytetrafluoroethylene valve is sutured to the conduit at the midpoint of the sinus (arrow in D).
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

5. Figure 4
Scatterplots of estimated pressure gradient across the conduit for the polytetrafluoroethylene valved conduit as a function of time interval after the procedure. The markers indicate the mean pressure gradient, and bars indicate the standard deviations. The solid lines were derived by the locally weighted polynomial (Lowess) regression of the data. Numbers in parentheses indicate patients at risk.
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

6. Figure 5
Scatterplots of estimated pressure gradient across the conduit as a function of time interval after the procedure. The markers indicate the mean pressure gradient for the conduit sized greater than 20 mm (solid circles), 16 or 18 mm (open circles), and 12 or 14 mm (solid squares). The solid lines were derived by the locally weighted polynomial (Lowess) regression of the data. Numbers in parentheses indicate patients at risk for conduit size 12/14 mm (top row), 16/18 mm (middle row), and greater than 20 mm (bottom row).
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

7. Figure 6
Scatterplots of estimated pressure gradient across the conduit as a function of time interval after the procedure. The markers indicate the mean pressure gradient for the conduit placed from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery in patients having transposition of the great arteries (RV-PA TGA, open squares), from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery in patients undergoing the Ross procedure (open circles), from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery in patients with normally related great arteries (RV-PA NGA, solid squares), and from the left ventricle to the pulmonary artery in patients having corrected transposition of the great arteries (LV-PA, solid circles). The solid lines were derived by the locally weighted polynomial (Lowess) regression of the data. Numbers in parentheses indicate patients at risk for RV-PA NGA, Ross, RV-PA TGA, and LV-PA (top to bottom rows).
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

8. Figure 7
Progression of pulmonary regurgitation until 10 years after the operation. Numbers in parentheses indicate patients at risk.
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

9. Figure 8
Polytetrafluoroethylene valve specimens explanted at 5.4 years after implantation (top). Microscopic image of the same specimen stained with Milligan's trichrome stain (bottom). (Original magnitude 20×.)
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.jtcvs )
Copyright © 2009 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions