Assessment of the Orifice Area of Bioprosthetic Valves by Orifice-View Roentgenography

Abstract

Orifice-view angiography permits us to visualize en face the orifice of the aortic or mitral valve. The radiopaque annulus of bioprosthetic valves assists in permitting the angiographer to position the patient exactly, so that the valve can be seen as if looking directly into the orifice. Orifice-view angiography of porcine bioprosthetic valves has been useful in assessing the size and configuration of the valve orifice. It can reveal a failure of leaflet opening that would indicate degeneration, even when hemodynamic measurements remain equivocal

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