title: Evaluation of advancing the standard valve dysfunction by multidetector-row CT.
abstract: We evaluated the diagnostic usefulness of electrocardiographically gated multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) for prosthetic valve dysfunction (PVD) of an ATS valve. Twenty-four patients underwent MDCT following echocardiography and cineradiography. Echocardiography and cineradiography showed normal valve function in 17 patients and PVD in 7. PVD included aortic prosthetic valve obstruction in 4 patients, an aortic annular aneurysm with paraprosthetic regurgitation in one, and a blocked leaflet in the mitral position in 2. Among the 7 patients, 5 received reoperation after MDCT. MDCT revealed a subprosthetic mass in all 5 patients with PVD and in 4 patients with normal valve function in the aortic position. In addition to a subprosthetic mass, an annular aneurysm was found in one. Valvular masses were detected in 2 patients with mitral PVD. At reoperation, subprosthetic pannus in the aortic position was detected in 2 patients, subprosthetic pannus and annular aneurysm with paraprosthetic leaks in one, and mitral valve thrombosis in 2. These findings confirmed at reoperation matched to the findings observed on MDCT. The mean CT attenuation of the subprosthetic mass in 6 patients was 152 ± 12 HU and that of the subprosthetic pannus in 3 patients was 163 ± 17 HU. CT attenuation of the thrombus in the mitral valve in the 2 patients was 60 and 99 HU. Our study demonstrates that MDCT is a valuable and reliable diagnostic technique for PVD in an ATS valve and that MDCT may identify an abnormality causing PVD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chikamori Hospital Heart Center, 1-1-16 Ohkawasuji, Kochi, 780-8522, Japan, tesshiaby@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Teshima
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shojima
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve; D002933:Cineradiography; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012086:Reoperation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult