title: Disuse Atrophy of the Aortic Valve After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.
abstract: A 31-year-old woman underwent implantation of a DuraHeart left ventricular assist device as bridge to transplantation. Aortic insufficiency was not observed before implantation but developed after implantation and became severe approximately 2 years later. Macroscopically, the aortic valve excised during heart transplantation showed no morphologic alteration. Microscopically, the collagen fibers in the fibrosa layer and the elastic fibers in the ventricularis layer of the valve leaflets were reduced in number, with irregular arrangement. These characteristics can be explained by a disuse atrophic change, and may lead to a better understanding of the mechanism underlying the development of aortic insufficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ushijima
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: tanoue@heart.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ide
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tominaga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D020966:Muscular Disorders, Atrophic / Q000209:etiology*