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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2008;136:213-214
© 2008 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Brief Communication

Early failure of a mechanical bileaflet aortic valve prosthesis due to pannus: A rare complication

^a Center of Cardiac Surgery, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
^b Department of Cardiology, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
^c Department of Anesthesiology, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

Received for publication December 19, 2007; revisions received December 28, 2007; accepted for publication January 7, 2008.

^_* Address for reprints: Thomas Strecker, MD, Center of Cardiac Surgery, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Krankenhausstrasse 12, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. (Email: thomas.strecker@uk-erlangen.de).

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Mechanical valvular prostheses have the advantage of long-lived duration. Most common reasons for failure are thrombosis or pannus, which can lead to a blockade of the valve. Thrombotic complications are most common early postoperatively, whereas pannus occurs later, especially in bileaflet valves in the aortic position. We report a case in which a bileaflet mechanical valve in the aortic position failed owing to early pannus formation that led to a reoperation.

Clinical Summary

In February 2007, we performed an aortic valve replacement with a bileaflet mechanical valve prosthesis in a 53-year-old woman with severe aortic valve stenosis. The patient had already received a mechanical bileaflet mitral valve prosthesis because of mitral valve stenosis caused by rheumatic fever in 1987. This valve was functioning well. The cardiovascular risk profile showed no further factors other . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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