ABSTRACT
We report a re-do case of severe aortic valve stenosis due to pannus formation 29 years after an aortic Starr-Edwards caged-ball valve implantation. A huge shelf of calcified and thick pannus tissue below the valve had reduced the already small orifice by at least a third in surface area. The explanted Starr-Edwards valve revealed no mechanical or structural failure. Early detection and treatment of pannus outgrowth is essential in order to prevent life-threatening prosthetic valve malfunctions.
Subject(s)
Aortic Valve Stenosis/surgery , Foreign-Body Reaction/surgery , Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation/adverse effects , Heart Valve Prosthesis/adverse effects , Aged , Aortic Valve Stenosis/etiology , Coronary Artery Bypass , Coronary Stenosis/surgery , Female , Foreign-Body Reaction/etiology , Humans , Recurrence , ReoperationABSTRACT
We report the case of a 69-year-old woman with a massive fibrous tumor of the left hemithorax. Initial attempted removal by median sternotomy was abandoned due to the extremely vascular appearance of the tumor and the inability to gain safe control of the pedicle. Subsequent percutaneous embolization before removal through a left thoracotomy was successful, with little intraoperative blood loss. We recommend preoperative angiography for massive chest tumors that may be vascular and require piecemeal removal for total excision.
