Disc wear and entrapment in a Starr-Edwards mitral caged-disc valve.

A case of wear and entrapment of a polyethylene disc observed in a Starr-Edwards (SE) mitral caged-disc valve at 37 years after implantation is reported. A 66-year-old woman who had undergone mitral valve replacement with a SE disc valve 37 years previously was admitted to the authors' hospital. Cinefluoroscopy showed the polyethylene disc of the SE valve to have impinged against a calcified mass on the left ventricular posterior wall, causing a tipping motion of the disc during opening. The valve was successfully replaced at surgery. A macroscopic examination of the excised valve revealed wear of the polyethylene disc at sites where the disc abutted the cage struts, and where it impinged on the calcified mass. The long-term durability of the SE caged-disc valves has been favorable; however, when implanted for over 20 years, they should be carefully followed up.