title: A case of the Starr-Edwards ball valve (Model 6120) in the mitral position for 45 years.
abstract: A 59-year-old male who had undergone mitral valve replacement with the Starr-Edwards ball valve Model 6120 (S-E ball valve) 45 years ago was admitted to our hospital for hemolytic anemia and heart failure. Echocardiography revealed that there was no valve dysfunction but paravalvular leakage between the annulus of P2 and the sewing ring of the Starr-Edwards ball valve. He underwent mitral valve replacement. The S-E ball valve was successfully replaced with bileaflet mechanical valve. The explanted S-E ball valve was free from signs of structural valve degeneration. This case shows one of the longest durability of the S-E ball valve in mitral position in the world.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Kyoto Katsura Hospital, Yamada Hiraocho 17, Nishikyoku, Kyoto, Kyoto, 615-8256, Japan, shuhei-azuma@r8.dion.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshii
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mieno
mesh_terms: D020878:Device Removal; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000601:surgery*; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012086:Reoperation; D013997:Time Factors