HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Kazunobu Nishimura Takaaki Sugita Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yamazaki, K. Articles by Sugita, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yamazaki, K. Articles by Sugita, T.

Fracture Embolization of an Edwards-Duromedics Valve with Asymmetrical Closure

¹ Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Tenri-yorozu Hospital, Tenri
² Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate of School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto
³ Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Takamatsu Red Cross Hospital, Kagawa, Japan

For reprint information contact: Kazuhiro Yamazaki, MD, Tel: 81 75 751 3784, Fax: 81 75 751 4960, Email: yamakazu{at}kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate of School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoinkawahara-machi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.

We report a case of sudden leaflet fracture of an Edwards-Duromedics mitral valve 17-years after its implantation. The patient had a history of an asymmetrical motion of the valve, five months earlier. A computed tomography scan showed two fragments that had embolized to the right brachiocephalic artery and left common iliac artery. An emergency mitral replacement surgery was successfully performed. Asymmetrical closure of the valve leaflet may have contributed to valve fracture.