Two years after aortic valve replacement with a Freestyle stentless aortic
xenograft using the partial scallop inclusion technique, late prosthetic va
lve endocarditis developed with abscess formation in the space between the
porcine and native human aortic wall. The presence of such a periprosthetic
dead space exposes the patient to increased postoperative pressure gradien
ts and the risk of superinfection. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All right
s reserved.