Replacement of the aortic valve with a pulmonary autograft: the "switch" operation.

The transfer of the patient's own pulmonary valve to the aortic position developed from our earlier work with aortic homografts. The valve shows no progressive tissue failure and offers the prospect of a permanent valve replacement for young people. Like homografts, the valves can be inserted in the subcoronary position or as a root replacement. In infants and growing children root replacement should be used to benefit from the valve's growth potential.