Retrograde (atrial) dislodgement of a Cross-Jones mitral valve occluder

Fatal atrial dislodgement of a lenticular disc occurred seven years after surgery in a 54-year-old patient, who had had a mitral valve replacement with a Cross-Jones prosthesis, for ruptured chordae tendinae. A marked distortion of the titanium ring reinforced silicone rubber lens disc due to material wear was the cause of this complication. From the literature available to us, atrial dislodgement of a prosthetic mitral occluder has not been previously recorded. We therefore intend to recommend elective replacement of the Cross-Jones prosthesis in all patients who have had their artificial valve functioning for more than five years.