[Performance of the Lillehei-Kaster-prosthesis. A critical haemodynamic study (author's transl)]

11 patients were studied 6 to 12 months after aortic valve replacement with Lillehei-Kaster-prosthesis (LKP). We found pressure gradients (deltaP) at rest of 31 mmHg (7 to 52 mmHg), 37 mmHg (8 to 69 mmHg during exercise and 8 mmHg during ventricular pacing delta P was influenced by stroke volume and valve size, but not by the width of the aorta. The opening angle alpha of the disc was only 62degrees and depended on stroke volume and on the orientation of the value within the aorta. The blood passed the valve ring only through the larger part of the orifice, the opening area was only 50% of the given area. Thus in practice the LKP does not perform to manufacturers specification.