Novel Transcatheter Mitral Prosthesis Designed to Preserve Physiological Ventricular Flow Dynamics.

Background: Current mitral bioprostheses are akin to the aortic valve and therefore abolish the left ventricular (LV) physiological vortex. We evaluated the hemodynamic performance and the effects on intraventricular flow dynamics (IFD) of a novel mitral bioprosthesis that presents an innovative design mimicking the native valve.

Methods: A D-shaped self-expandable stent-bovine pericardium monoleaflet valve was designed to provide physiological asymmetric intraventricular flow.

The riddle of the right ventricle.

Right ventricular (RV) myxoma is a very rare finding. Its differential diagnosis includes cardiac thrombus, and its risk of life-threatening complications mandates early diagnosis followed by surgical resection. We report the case of a patient with an incidental RV mass and a difficult differential diagnosis.

Functional Regurgitation of Atrioventricular Valves and Atrial Fibrillation: An Elusive Pathophysiological Link Deserving Further Attention.

In patients with structurally normal atrioventricular valvular apparatus, functional regurgitation of the mitral or tricuspid valves has been attributed mainly to ventricular dilation and/or dysfunction, through a combination of annulus dilation and tethering of the valve leaflets. The occurrence of functional regurgitation of atrioventricular valves in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation and atrial dilation but normal ventricular size and function has received much less attention, and its peculiar mechanisms still remain to be understood. This distinct form of functional regurgitation (i.

Comparison of mitral annulus geometry between patients with ischemic and non-ischemic functional mitral regurgitation: implications for transcatheter mitral valve implantation.

Background: Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is a new therapeutic option for high surgical risk patients with mitral regurgitation (MR). Mitral valve (MV) geometry quantification is of paramount importance for success of the procedure and transthoracic 3D echocardiography represents a useful screening tool. Accordingly, we sought to asses MV geometry in patients with functional MR (FMR) that would potentially benefit of TMVR, focusing on the comparison of mitral annulus (MA) geometry between patients with ischemic (IMR) and non ischemic mitral regurgitation (nIMR).