Late thrombotic obstruction of the Björk-Shiley aortic valve prosthesis is a rare complication (0.6% incidence) that presents subacutely and requires surgical intervention.
Alerts to rare subacute thrombosis in historical mechanical valves; leaves open optimal long-term surveillance strategies.
We present four cases of late thrombotic obstruction of the Björk-Shiley aortic valve prosthesis. The incidence of this complication reported in the literature to vary from 0.7% to 5%. In our experience of a total of 623 Björk-Shiley aortic valve replacements, we observed this complication in only 4 patients (0.6%). Two of them had poorly controlled anticoagulation therapy. The clinical presentation was subacute in all four patients. Surgical treatment, thrombectomy and debridement, was performed in all of them. The diagnosis was made upon abrupt and progressive onset of dyspnoea, physical examination data and echocardiographic and radioscopic findings. Angiocardiographic studies were needed in two patients.
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Martinell et al. (1979) studied this question.
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