Re-do mitral valve replacement using the valve-on-valve technique: a case report.

We report a repeated mitral valve replacement (re-do MVR) using the valve-on-valve technique for a degenerated bioprosthesis. A 49-year-old female, who had had a 29 mm Carpentier-Edwards mitral bioprosthesis for mitral regurgitation 20 years previously, was referred to our institution for dyspnea. She presented with pulmonary edema secondary to severe mitral bioprosthetic valve regurgitation. We replaced the degenerated mitral bioprosthesis with a 25 mm mechanical prosthesis using the valve-on-valve technique, as the struts of the bioprosthesis were embedded in the left ventricular myocardium. Removal of the bioprosthesis may be not only time-consuming but also complicated by cardiac rupture at the atrioventricular junction or the posterior left ventricular wall. The valve-on-valve technique is a simplified procedure that can avoid the potential complications of complete excision of the bioprosthesis. We believe this technique can be a useful strategy for patients with a degenerated mitral bioprosthesis.