Key result
Surgeons successfully explant Starr-Edwards mitral valve after record 48 years.
Why the study?
The durability and long-term outcomes of the Starr-Edwards ball and cage mitral valve prosthesis remain relevant due to its historic use and late reoperative surgery needs.
Case Report (n=1)
Single-case 48-year durability record warrants caution against routine expectations; extends known Starr-Edwards implant duration but remains hypothesis-generating.
A 58-year-old female had undergone previous mechanical mitral replacement with a Starr-Edwards ball and cage valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA) at 11 years of age for rheumatic disease. The valve functioned well until pannus resulted in prosthetic valve stenosis with class IV dyspnea and pulmonary hypertension. She underwent reoperative mitral replacement with an On-X mechanical mitral prosthesis (Cryolife, Kennesaw, GA) 48 years after initial implantation. To our knowledge, this case represents the longest known implant period of a ball and cage mitral valve in the literature. This presentation highlights the durability of this historic prosthesis, along with the role of reoperative surgery decades after initial implantation.
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Rahmouni et al. (2021) conducted a case report in Prosthetic valve stenosis (n=1). Explantation of Starr-Edwards ball and cage mitral valve and replacement with On-X mechanical prosthesis was evaluated on Successful explantation and patient survival/functional status. A Starr-Edwards ball and cage mitral valve prosthesis was successfully explanted 48 years after initial implantation due to pannus formation, representing the longest known implant period for this valve.
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