Use of multidetector-row computed tomography scan to detect pannus formation in prosthetic mechanical aortic valves.

Use of multidetector-row computed tomography scan to detect pannus formation in prosthetic mechanical aortic valves. J Thorac Dis. 2017 Apr;9(Suppl 4):S343-S348 Authors: Aladmawi MA, Pragliola C, Vriz O, Galzerano D Abstract Obstruction of a mechanical aortic valve by pannus formation at the subvalvular level is a major long-term complication of aortic valve replacement (AVR). In fact, pannus is sometime difficult to differentiate from patient-prosthesis mismatch or valve thrombosis. In most cases cine-angiography and echocardiography, either transthoracic or transesophageal, cannot correctly visualize the complication when the leaflets show a normal mobility. Recent technological refinements made this difficult diagnosis possible by ECG-gated computed tomography (CT) scan which shows adequate images in 90% of the cases and can differentiate pannus from fresh and organized thrombus. PMID: 28540078 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of Thoracic Disease - Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: J Thorac Dis Source Type: research