Valve selection and choice in surgery of endocarditis.

The experience of the German Heart Center with valve selection and choice of size of prostheses for aortic root endocarditis is hereby reported. This experience includes 37 cases of aortic root endocarditis between 1986 and 1989. Mechanical, bioprosthetic, and homograft valves were used depending on the size, annular pathology, and general conditions related to the patient's medical history. Operative techniques are presented. Regardless of the type of valve replacement device, extensive annular destruction indicates a difficult and complex operation with long-term early and late results inferior to those in patients without annular abscess.