Definition: Prosthesis, usually heart valve, composed of biological material and whose durability depends upon the stability of the material after pretreatment, rather than regeneration by host cell ingrowth. Durability is achieved 1, mechanically by the interposition of a cloth, usually polytetrafluoroethylene, between the host and the graft, and 2, chemically by stabilization of the tissue by intermolecular linking, usually with glutaraldehyde, after removal of antigenic components, or the use of reconstituted and restructured biopolymers.
IM; coord IM with specific prosth term (IM), as BIOPROSTHESIS + HEART VALVE PROSTHESIS; do not specify source of biol material unless especially discussed & do not coord with TRANSPLANTATION, HETEROLOGOUS; note X refs below
