Contents May 2004

The Journal of Heart Valve Disease

SESSION I: SEARCHING FOR A CORRECT METHOD OF EVALUATION FOR VALVE PROSTHESIS PERFORMANCE
Laboratory Assessment Gino Gerosa, Francesca di Marco, Dino Casarotto, Tomaso Bottio	S 1
Animal Trials for Heart Valve Substitutes Hans A. Huysmans	S 4
Should Valve Evaluation be Undertaken in Different Populations from Different Countries? Manuel J. Antunes	S 7
Clinical Evaluation: Statistical Considerations and How to Meet Them in Clinical Practice David J. Wheatley	S 11
The Role of the ISS in the Italian Health Service, and the Need for Medical Device Market Surveillance Mauro Grigioni	S 14
What is the Minimal Follow Up Period to be Considered Significant when Evaluating a Valve Prosthesis Model? Should ‘Actual’ and ‘Actuarial’ Curves be Considered always Essential for any Scientific Presentation? Andrea Sala, Vittorio Mantovani, Michelangelo Scardone	S 18
Should ‘Actual’ and ‘Actuarial’ Curves be Considered always Essential for any Scientific Presentation ? Nicola Vitale, Gianantonio Nappi, Michelangelo Scardone	S 20
SESSION II: THE PAST AND THE FUTURE OF MECHANICAL VALVE PROSTHESES
27-Year Follow Up of the Starr-Edwards Prosthesis Implanted in the Mitral Position: An Analysis of Survival and Valve-Related Complications Luca S. De Santo, Gianpaolo Romano, Andrea Petraio, Alessandro Della Corte, Cristiano Amarelli, Gianantonio Nappi, Marisa De Feo1, Michelangelo Scardone, Maurizio Cotrufo	S 21
Long-Term Results of Mechanical Valve Replacement: Isolated Mitral Valve Replacement and Mitral-Aortic Valve Replacement J.-P. Remadi, D. Duveau	S 26
Tilting-disc versus Bileaflet Mechanical Prostheses in the Aortic Position: A Multicenter Evaluation Nicola Vitale, Marisa De Feo, Paolo De Siena, Giangiuseppe Cappabianca, Francesco Onorati, Rosario Gregorio, Stefano Branzoli, Luigi de Luca, Tupputi Schinosa, Mario Viganò, Michelangelo Scardone, Maurizio Cotrufo	S 27
Mid-Term Clinical and Hemodynamic Evaluation of 19 mm Sorin Bicarbon Aortic Valve Prostheses Marisa Di Donato, Toni Badia, Alessandro Frigiola, Umberto Squarcia, Marco Ranucci, Serenella Castelvecchio, Lorenzo Menicanti	S 35
Mechanical Valve Thrombosis: A Tailored Approach for a Multiplex Disease Attilio Renzulli, Francesco Onorati, Marisa De Feo, Nicola Vitale, Salvatore Esposito, Lucio Agozzino, Giuseppe Santarpino, Pasquale Mastroroberto, Antonietta R. Marchese, Luigi De Luca, Michelangelo Scardone, Maurizio Cotrufo	S 37
The Past and the Future of Mechanical Valve Prostheses Ugolino Livi	S 43
SESSION III: BIOLOGICAL VALVES
The Experience with Porcine Bioprostheses at Padua University Gino Gerosa, Giulio Rizzoli, Francesca Di Marco, Tomaso Bottio	S 44
Long-Term Outcomes of the Carpentier-Edwards Pericardial Valve Prosthesis in the Aortic Position: Effect of Patient Age Paolo Biglioli, Nicola Spampinato, Aldo Cannata, Antonino Musumeci, Alessandro Parolari, Cesare Gagliardi, Francesco Alamanni	S 49
Homografts and Autografts: Which Patients Really Benefit? John R. Pepper	S 52
SESSION IV: HEMODYNAMICS: VALVULAR GRADIENTS AND VENTRICULAR REMODELING
Left Ventricular Mass Regression after Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis: Time Course and Determinants Mario Gaudino, Franco Glieca, Nicola Luciani, Carlo Cellini, Mauro Morelli, Fabiana Girola, Giovanni Guarini, Gianfederico Possati	S 55
The Concept of Patient-Prosthesis Mismatch Claudio Muneretto, Gianluigi Bisleri, Alberto Negri, Jacopo Manfredi	S 59
Influence of Patient-Prosthesis Mismatch on Myocardial Mass Regression and Clinical Outcome in Physically Active Patients after Aortic Valve Replacement Jacob Zeitani, Fabio Bertoldo, Paolo Nardi, Giuseppe Iaci, Patrizio Polisca, Ruggero De Paulis, Alfonso Penta de Peppo, Luigi Chiariello	S 63
Left Ventricular Mass Regression after Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis with Newly Designed 17-mm Bileaflet Prostheses Cristiano Amarelli, Gianpaolo Romano, Alessandro Della Corte, Gennaro Iasevoli, Gianantonio Nappi, Marisa De Feo, Luca Salvatore De Santo, Micheangelo Scardone, Maurizio Cotrufo	S 68
Left Ventricle Remodeling after Aortic Valve Replacement with a Stentless Bioprosthesis C. Valfrè, P. Ius, C. Zussa, F. Rigo1, R. Bianchini, E. Polesel1, R. J. Zennaro	S 69
Elucidation of Cardiac Physiology in Aortic Valve Replacement: What Should We Know? Xu Yu Jin	S 70
SESSION V: ANTICOAGULATION
State of the Art Anticoagulation Management Cornelia Piper, Dieter Horstkotte	S 76
Mitral Valve Replacement and Thromboembolic Risk Stefano Benussi, Alessandro Verzini, Ottavio Alfieri	S 81
Valvular Replacement in a Pediatric Population: An Italian Multicenter Study G. Gargiulo, P. Arciprete, P. Abbruzzese, G. Crupi, R. Di Donato, C. Mignosa, B. Murzi, G. Pomè, G. Stellin, C. Vosa, L. Zannini	S 84
Low-Dose Oral Anticoagulation Therapy in Mechanical Heart Valve Prostheses: The Italian Experience Gian Domenico Di Nucci	S 86
Incidence of Anticoagulation in Patients with Bioprostheses Tiziano Gherli, Andrea Colli, Francesco Nicolini	S 88
Risk of Warfarin Anticoagulation in Pregnant Patients with Mechanical Heart Valve Prostheses Alessandro Della Corte, Marisa De Feo, Gianpaolo Romano, Cristiano Amarelli, Luca Salvatore De Santo, Gianantonio Nappi, Micheangelo Scardone, Maurizio Cotrufo	S 90
SESSION VI: LIFE QUALITY AND EXPECTANCY AFTER HEART VALVE REPLACEMENT
The ‘Threshold Age’ in Choosing Biological Versus Mechanical Prostheses in Western Countries David J. Wheatley	S 91
Searching for the Truth: A Mechanical or a Tissue Valve? Steven J. Phillips	S 95