Cinefluorographic Study of Prosthetic Cardiac Valves

The Use Of prosthetic cardiac valves in the therapy of valvular heart disease is currently on the increase (1, 3). Over 34,000 such valves have been distributed by one manufacturer (4). The radiologist is routinely called upon to examine postoperative prosthetic valve patients, a procedure which becomes of immediate importance if the clinical course is unfavorable. Variations in the cage position which indicate partial interruption of valve fixation are readily detectable by image-amplification fluorography. During follow-up examinations, it was noted that the “radiolucent” silastic ball currently in use could be detected on standard image-intensification fluoroscopy, and that ball motion could be recorded by standard 16-mm cinefluorography. The purpose of this communication is to describe the characteristic ball motion of currently employed prosthetic valves seen fluoroscopically, without the injection of contrast material or other nonphysiologic agents. Materials and Methods Twenty-two patients were exa...