Key result
Lethal degeneration of a silicone rubber ball in a Starr-Edwards mitral prosthesis occurred after 78 months of implantation, presenting with syncope, heart failure, and altered opening sound.
Case Report
Syncope, heart failure, or altered opening sound intensity more than 4 years after Starr-Edwards mitral valve replacement suggests potentially lethal ball variance.
May signal lethal ball variance in symptomatic Starr-Edwards patients >4 years post-implant; hypothesis-generating for prosthesis surveillance.
Lethal degeneration of a silicone rubber ball of a Starr-Edwardsmitralprosthesis implanted for 78 months occurred. Variance of mitral silicone rubber poppets requires longer periods of implantation than required for degeneration of aortic poppets. Syncope or near syncope and congestive cardiac-failure appearing more than four years after mitral replacement with a silicone rubber poppet suggests ball variance. Alterations in intensity of the opening sound of the mitral prosthesis in the absence of arrhythmias further suggests this diagnosis.
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William C. Roberts (1970) conducted a case report in Starr-Edwards prosthetic mitral valve ball variance. Starr-Edwards mitral prosthesis was evaluated on Lethal degeneration (ball variance). Lethal degeneration of a silicone rubber ball in a Starr-Edwards mitral prosthesis occurred after 78 months of implantation, presenting with syncope, heart failure, and altered opening sound.
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