title: Practical Approach to the Evaluation of Prosthetic Mechanical and Tissue Replacement Heart Valves.
abstract: Mechanical and bioprosthetic substitute heart valves have dramatically improved life expectancy and quality of life in patients with valvular heart disease. Complications of substitute heart valves are a relatively infrequent occurrence, often due to thrombosis, infection, or structural/mechanical failure. It is important to accurately identify and systematically evaluate prosthetic heart valves when encountered as surgical pathology specimens or in the autopsy setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: VanderLaan
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Padera
authors.forename: Fredrick J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Schoen