[A case report of ball variance of Smeloff-Cutter prosthetic valve]

A 37-year-old woman had undergone aortic valve replacement with Smeloff-Cutter prosthetic valve in 1967. She visited our hospital because of dyspnea and chest pain about 22 years after the operation. Severe aortic regurgitant murmur was audible and a chest X-ray demonstrated lung edema. A diagnosis was made of acute left heart failure due to prosthetic valve dysfunction, and emergency operation was performed. The Silastic ball was severely deformed and shrunken. Therefore, the ball was easily put off outside the cage. A St. Jude medical prosthetic valve was implanted. The postoperative course was uneventful.