Case report
Rare early prosthesis obstruction after mitral valve replacement: a case report and literature review
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Cheng Du, People’s Republic of China
Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2012, 7:64 doi:10.1186/1749-8090-7-64
Published: 2 July 2012Abstract
As a dreadful complication after the mechanical heart valve replacement, prosthetic valve obstruction caused by pannus formation occurs increasingly with time. The authors here present a case of 42-year-old woman who was urgently admitted to hospital with acute heart failure symptoms due to the mechanical mitral valve failure only 3 months after surgery. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated that the bileaflet of the mitral prosthesis were completely immobilized with only a small transvalvular jet remained. During the reoperation, the reason of the prosthetic valve obstruction was attributed to the noncircular pannus ingrowth extending from the atrioventricular side. For a better understanding of the prosthetic valve dysfunction caused by pannus formation, the authors then compile a literature review to briefly discuss the status quo of the clinical characteristics of this uncommon complication.
