Influence of prosthetic design on durability of the Liotta porcine valve in the mitral position. From March 1979 to December 1984, the Liotta low-profile porcine bioprosthesis was employed for mitral valve replacement in 71 patients to avoid potential left ventricle-prosthesis mismatch occasionally observed with the standard, high-profile, Hancock porcine xenograft. Follow-up of 61 operative survivors showed at 10 years an actuarial survival of 67% +/- 7%, freedom from thromboemboli of 96% +/- 2%, freedom from structural deterioration of 63% +/- 11% and freedom from all Liotta bioprosthesis-related complications of 53% +/- 10%. Complications related to excessive protrusion of the stent into the left ventricular cavity were eliminated with the Liotta bioprosthesis; the peculiar stent configuration, however, was responsible for an increased rate of structural deterioration requiring reoperation in 10 patients (2.8% +/- 0.9%/patient-year) at a mean interval of 76 +/- 18 months after mitral valve replacement (range, 45 to 106 months). Common findings in all explants were cusp prolapse, cusp tears, and commissural rupture related to various degrees of tissue calcification, constantly leading to severe prosthetic incompetence. As also shown experimentally, such structural changes have been attributed to increased systolic stresses on the closed cusps, favored by excessive reduction of the stent height. Our experience shows that the Liotta bioprosthesis used for mitral valve replacement does not provide any clear-cut advantage over standard porcine bioprostheses and that its long-term durability appears affected by the unique prosthetic design. 