A Perfectly Functioning Magovern-Cromie Sutureless Prosthetic Aortic Valve 42 Years After Implantation

Abstract

A 65-year–old man was admitted with recurrent pulmonary edema. At the age of 23, 42 years before his admission, he had had an aortic valve replacement with a “ball-and-cage” valve for severe aortic stenosis. He had suffered a postoperative hemorrhagic stroke with right hemiparesis but had been doing well on warfarin for 42 years. Echocardiography demonstrated a perfectly functioning prosthetic aortic valve with peak transvalvular gradient of 23 mm Hg and mean gradient of 13 mm Hg with no aortic regurgitation (Figure 1, Movie I). There was also severe rheumatic mitral valve stenosis. Coronary angiography showed insignificant coronary disease, and on fluoroscopy an unusual …