Disuse Atrophy of the Aortic Valve After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

A 31-year-old woman underwent implantation of a DuraHeart left ventricular assist device as bridge to transplantation. Aortic insufficiency was not observed before implantation but developed after implantation and became severe approximately 2 years later. Macroscopically, the aortic valve excised during heart transplantation showed no morphologic alteration. Microscopically, the collagen fibers in the fibrosa layer and the elastic fibers in the ventricularis layer of the valve leaflets were reduced in number, with irregular arrangement. These characteristics can be explained by a disuse atrophic change, and may lead to a better understanding of the mechanism underlying the development of aortic insufficiency.