Pathology of Cardiac Valve Disease, 1st ed. 2023 Surgical and Interventional Anatomy

Cardiac valve diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the globe. In third world countries, inflammatory rheumatic valve disease in the young represents an endemic calamity, while in Western countries, degenerative valve diseases like senile calcific aortic stenosis and mitral valve prolapse as a result of mucoid degeneration with incompetence are major causes of death in adults/the elderly. Since the 1960s, surgical valve replacement has been the only treatment option, requiring sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac arrest. Permanent anticoagulation for mechanical valves and the limited durability of biological valves constituted significant drawbacks; moreover, these surgeries often requires surgical replacement.

The cardiac registry at the University of Padua, Italy, has gathered more than twelve hundred cases of failed prosthetic valves, offering a unique resource for teaching and research. Conservative valve repair using minimally invasive technique showed that replacement of the native valve with sternotomy can be spared. Moreover, in the last decade venous or arterial approaches like TAVI were developed. Presenting the essential surgical and interventional anatomy and pathology in detail, this book offers a valuable tool for cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and pathologists, as well as people in training and scientists working in the field of medical devices and biological compatibility.

Cristina Basso is a Full Professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Padua Medical School, Director of the Regional Register of Cardio-cerebro-vascular Pathology of the Veneto Region, and Chief of the Cardiovascular Pathology Unit, University Hospital. Prof. Basso coordinated a Task Force of the Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology (AECVP) charged with defining the guidelines for the autoptic study of sudden death. For her contributions on the topic of cardiac tumors, she was invited to serve on the committee of experts for drafting the new WHO Classification of tumors of the heart.

 Stefania Rizzo works at the Department of Cardiac-Thorac-Vascular Sciences and Public Health of the Azienda Ospedaliera-University of Padua Medical School - Padua, Italy.  Her Research interests are mainly in the field of cardiovascular pathology, directed to clinical-pathological studies and ba

Describes the prosthetic valve models, both mechanical and biological, employed since the 1960s

Discusses procedures involving sutureless and stented bioprosthetic valves, such as transarterial..

Covers the recent history of native and prosthetic valve pathology