Malfunction of the Mitral Valve Prosthesis (Cutter-Smeloff)

Three cases of intermittent obstruction of the mitral prosthesis (Cutter-Smeloff) due to ball variance have been reported. The typical findings were marked variation in the arterial pulse and the intensity of the mitral closing sound and intermittent absence of the opening click. The phonocardiography revealed varying intervals from aortic closing sound to the opening click (A2 OC interval). Hemodynamic studies revealed fluctuating aortic and pulmonary artery wedge pressures in spite of normal sinus rhythm, due to impaction of the ball into the prosthetic ring, opening only with severe elevation of the left atrial pressure. At operation, the balls showed yellowish discoloration, but no disruption of sutures nor thrombosis of the prosthesis was found. The incidence of this phenomenon was 9% with the Cutter-Smeloff mitral prosthesis, but no such case was seen among patients with the Starr-Edwards mitral prosthesis.