Role of invasive evaluation with cineradiography and intracardiac echocardiography to detect mechanical prosthetic valve dysfunction
Chhatriwalla, A.K.; Lever, H.M.; Pettersson, G.; Kapadia, S.
Journal of Invasive Cardiology 21(4): 190-192
2009
ISSN/ISBN: 1557-2501 PMID: 19342759 Document Number: 633061
Prosthetic valve obstruction by pannus or thrombus represents a rare but potentially serious cause of prosthetic valve dysfunction. We report a case in which the diagnosis of prosthetic valve obstruction was made in the catheterization laboratory utilizing cineradiography, left ventriculography and intracardiac echocardiography. The findings in this case suggest that in patients with a prosthetic aortic valve and increased left ventricular outflow tract gradient, evaluation in the catheterization laboratory may provide useful diagnostic information in addition to that obtained by noninvasive studies.