Aberrant right coronary artery in a grown up congenital cardiac patient, successfully treated 46 years earlier with a double Starr-Edwards silastic ball valve replacement: a case report

Abstract

Background: The Starr-Edwards ball valve prosthesis was successfully introduced in 1961-62 and largely used for aortic and mitral valve replacement. Even if Starr-Edwards valves have been widely replaced in clinical practice by other mechanical valves, they define a standard concerning long-term durability. Case presentation: We describe the case of a 55-year-old man referred to our Department to perform a cardiac computed tomography (CCT), to better evaluate a severe dilation of ascending aorta discovered at echocardiography. The patient had been surgically treated 46 years earlier to correct a supra-cristal type ventricular septal defect. Both mitral and aortic valves were replaced, respectively due to bacterial mitral endocarditis and a fibrous sub-valvular aortic stenosis. In addition, the right coronary artery (RCA) was found to arise from the left coronary sinus. Conclusion: We report the longest lasting durability (46 years) of aortic and mitral Starr-Edwards valves successfully implanted in a patient simultaneously carrying a malignant anomalous origin of RCA.

Longa Duração De Prótese Tipo Starr-Edwards Produzida E Implantada No Hospital De Base Do Distrito Federal

“…Desde o início do século 20, médicos e cientistas buscam por soluções quanto às patologias valvulares cardíacas, incrementando estudos a respeito e desenvolvendo técnicas cada vez mais seguras e com menores eventos adversos [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] . A válvula de Starr-Edwards (S-E), desenvolvida a partir de 1960 [11][12][13] , surgiu do aprimoramento da primeira válvula cardíaca usada em humanos -a válvula de Hufnagel, implantada em paciente com dissecção aguda de aorta em 1951 3 .…”