Original Article Comparison of the Effects of Aortic Valve Replacement Using 19-mm Carpentier-Edwards Perimount

Objective: Short (≤3 months)- and middle (≥4 months)-term results of aortic valve replacement (AVR) using 19-mm Carpentier-Edwards Perimount (CEP) bioprosthetic valves and 19-mm Medtronic Mosaic (MM) bioprosthetic valves in patients with small aortic annulus were com-pared. Patients and Methods: At our facility, AVR was performed using bioprostheses in 110 patients from April 1999 to March 2006. Of these patients, 40 were treated using 19-mm CEP (Group C), and 9 using 19-mm MM (Group M). Evaluation by inquiry, physical examination, and echocardiography was performed before, a short term after, and a middle term after surgery, and the effects of AVR were compared. Results: The New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class grade showed improve-ments in both groups. The aortic valve peak pressure gradient was 29.8 ± 10.1 mmHg in Group C and 53.8 ± 17.3 mmHg in Group M, being higher in Group M, a middle term after surgery. However, the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) showed improvements in both groups com-pared with the values before surgery, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was main-tained. During the middle term after surgery, the frequency of cardiac events showed no signifi-cant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: In the patients treated with 19-mm MM, the aortic valve peak pressure gradient was higher than in those treated with 19-mm CEP, but acceptable improvements in the LVMI, maintenance of the LVEF, and avoidance of cardiac events were observed in both groups. (An