radiological appearance of prosthetic valves
Last reviewed 01/2018
Apart from homografts, all valves are radiopaque:
- the radiopaque components in prosthetic valves allows the the identification of the type of valve and the direction of flow:
- caged valves and heterografts - flow is from the base ring to the struts
- disc valves - direction of flow is indicated if the disc is seen in an open position on chest X-ray
Strut fracture and bioprosthesis calcification can be seen on a chest film.