CT imaging features of mechanical aortic valvular prostheses and related complications

Currently, multidetector row CT (MDCT) is routinely used for cardiac imaging, especially for detection of coronary artery disease and morphological and functional evaluation. Recent advances in MDCT with cardiac gating and improved spatial and temporal resolution allow non-invasive evaluation of cardiac valves with significant reduction in artifacts traditionally associated with valvular prostheses. Postsurgical follow-up of mechanical aortic valvular prostheses requires knowledge of the functioning mechanism of different valve types and related complications, some potentially lethal and sometimes of insidious onset. The most frequently used non-invasive imaging modalities to evaluate morphology and function of prosthetic heart valves are echocardiography and fluoroscopy. We present the CT imaging features of three mechanical aortic valvular prostheses and the value of CT for diagnosis of related complications as a complement to standard imaging modalities.