Unexpected durability of Smeloff-Cutter aortic ball valve prosthesis.
We report a case in which replacement of a Smeloff-Cutter aortic ball prosthesis was required 28 years after initial implantation. A 57-year-old woman underwent aortic valve replacement with a 21-mm Smeloff-Cutter ball prosthesis and open mitral commissurotomy for aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, and mitral stenosis in 1973. Severe aortic regurgitation occurred in April 2001, and aortic valve reoperation combined with mitral valve replacement was successfully performed. The patient's aortic ball valve was nearly intact with perivalvular leakage probably causing the aortic regurgitation. Our experience documents longer durability for the Smeloff-Cutter prosthesis than has been reported to date.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Yamanashi Central Hospital, Yamanashi, Japan. ujinaito@aol.com
Yuji
Y
Naito
Masato
M
Nakajima
Hidenori
H
Inoue
Narutoshi
N
Hibino
Eiki
E
Mizutani
Koji
K
Tsuchiya
D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012086:Reoperation