PURPOSE In the present report we describe our clinical experience using specific image-based decision making and anatomic considerations for transcatheter valve-in-valve (ViV) implantation in degenerated xenografts with their pericardial leaflets externally mounted around the stent (Mitroflow [SORIN Group, Milan, Italy] or Trifecta [St. Jude Medical, St Paul, MN]). This design seems to increase...

Giant ascending aortic aneurysm formation following aortic valve replacement is rare. A 28-year-old man who underwent aortic valve replacement with a prosthetic valve for aortic regurgitation secondary to congenital bicuspid aortic valve about 10 years ago was diagnosed with a giant ascending aortic aneurysm about 16 cm in diameter in follow-up. The aneurysm was resected leaving the functional ...

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most frequent valve disease in Europe. It has a predominantly degenerative origin and is therefore mostly present in elderly patients. Valve replacement is the definitive therapy [1]; however, the risk of this treatment may be high in elderly patients with comorbidities. Several registries show that as many as a third of patients with severe valve disease and severe ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the early outcome of mitral valve prostheses implantation and left ventricular remodeling in 23 patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy and secondary mitral regurgitation (NYHA class III and IV). METHODS Mitral valvular prosthesis implantation with preservation of papillary muscles and chordae tendinae, and plasty of anteriun cuspid for remodeling of the left ventricle. ...

therapy of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Developed in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association. Europace 2013;15:1070–118. 20. Urena M, Webb JG, Eltchaninoff H, Munoz-Garcia AJ, Bouleti C, Tamburino C et al. Late cardiac death in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: incidence and predictors of advanced heart failure and sudden cardiac death. J ...

background: the evaluation of prosthetic valves is very difficult with two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography alone. doppler and color flow imaging as well as transesophageal echocardiography are more reliable to detect prosthetic valve dysfunction. however, doppler study sometimes tends to be misleading due to the load-depending characteristics of peak and mean pressure gradients. the ...

Catheter radiofrequency ablation of the atrial fibrillation substrate may be difficult in patients after open heart surgery. Difficulties arise presence a mitral valve prosthesis, arrhythmias several morphologies (more often left atypical flutter), including incisional ones. These cases require thorough and scrupulous approach to achieve complete isolation all available arrhythmia substrates. A...

T he first successful heart valve replacements were carried out in 1960 with the use of mechanical prostheses.1-3 Because of the risk of throm-boembolism that is inherent to all mechanical prosthe-ses and the hazards of continuous anticoagulation, fewer thrombogenic tissue valves were developed.4,5 In the early 1960s, homograft replacement of the aortic valve was reported,6'7 and shortly therea...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to describe early experience and medium-term follow-up with the CoreValve self-expanding aortic prosthesis at three Spanish hospitals. METHODS The study included patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Other inclusion criteria were: aortic valve area <1 cm(2) (<0.6 cm(2)/m(2)); aortic valve annulus diameter in the range 20-27 mm; ...

Recently, percutaneous aortic valve replacement has emerged as a therapeutic option for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and a high surgical risk. We report our initial experience in four patients with percutaneous implantation of a CoreValve aortic prosthesis to treat aortic bioprosthesis dysfunction involving aortic stenosis or regurgitation. In-hospital and medium-term outcom...