Whipple's Disease in the Porcine Leaflets of a Carpentier–Edwards Prosthetic Mitral Valve

Abstract

WHIPPLE'S disease is often associated with pancarditis, which may result in major valvular dysfunction.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 We describe a patient in whom Whipple's disease also involved the porcine leaflets of a Carpentier–Edwards prosthetic cardiac valve that had been fixed in glutaraldehyde. This finding supports the view that Whipple's disease is caused by infection with a specific bacterium and suggests that when a patient with Whipple's disease requires a prosthetic cardiac valve, a tissue valve should not be used.Case ReportA 63-year-old man presented in 1967 with a 15-month history of weakness, weight loss, and passage of five to six watery stools . . .