Cryopreserved Semilunar Heart Valve Allografts: Leaflet Surface Damage in Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of current processing protocol on valve tissue morphology, mainly to address the effect of successive processing steps on the leaflet surface structure. For the detection of fine changes in endothelial covering and underlying layers, our own modification of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique was utilized.

Keywords

• allograft heart valves
• cryopreservation
• scanning electron microscopy
• tissue morphology