Bovine Jugular Vein Conduit for Tricuspid Valve Replacement in a Young Infant With Ebstein Anomaly: A Case Report With 16 Years of Follow-up

Ebstein anomaly is a rare congenital heart defect that is characterized by failure of the tricuspid valve leaflets to delaminate from the right ventricular endocardium, resulting in apical displacement of the tricuspid valve annulus and atrialization of the right ventricle. An irreparable tricuspid valve generally precludes at least initial attempts at a biventricular repair in a young infant. Although there are commercially available prosthetic tricuspid valves small enough to be implanted in these patients, they are generally not appropriate for young infants due to their bulk, which makes them prone to producing heart block. We present a case in which a bovine jugular vein conduit was suspended inside a ringed polytetrafluoroethylene graft and successfully used as a bioprosthetic option for tricuspid valve replacement in a 10-week-old, 4.4 kg infant with Ebstein anomaly of the tricuspid valve, which we could not repair.