Late thrombotic obstruction of an aortic bioprosthetic valve: Successful treatment by oral anticoagulation

Thrombotic obstruction of aortic bioprostheses is rare. Few cases have been reported involving the use of the Carpentier‐Edwards (CE) prosthesis, the Hancock bioprosthesis, or the Medtronic Intact porcine valve. 1, 4 Thrombolytic therapy for mechanical valve thrombosis has been used frequently even though it is known to carry a high risk of embolism and recurrence. 5 However, the use of this therapy was reported for the first time only recently, 1 in a case of acute aortic thrombosis which occurred 3 1/2 months after bioprosthesis insertion. We report a case of late progressive thrombotic obstruction of a CE aortic valve 3 years after insertion. The case was successfully treated with Coumadin therapy, as confirmed by serial Doppler echocardiographic examinations and a 3‐year follow‐up.