Ultrasonic Decalcification of valves

[Andyrdj]

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1351259

The link above is someone's attempt to revive a previously abandoned method - use of ultrasound to no-invasively decalcify a valve.

Some interest, certainly, their method was effective in vitro at least. They note that the valve is likely to re-calcify more rapidly, however.

So the interesting bit will be if someone can invent a means of stabilising a newly cleaned valve - maybe something applied via catheter?

Looks like it might buy someone an extra bit of time between ops, however.

Anyway, I present this to you all for your interest.

 

[jax3172]

we hope!

we hope!

It would be a major benefit to all of us who have had VRs with tissue valves if there were some way to keep our new valves from calcifying. I've heard or read that chelation therapy has promise in this area but there's all sorts of negative data out there on that (even though thousands of people are getting it done/). Thoughts?

 

[Andyrdj]

Some articles on Chelation therapy

Some articles on Chelation therapy

http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/Therapies/ChelationTherapy.htm

http://www.bhf.org.uk/questions/index.asp?secondlevel=1157&thirdlevel=1231#5756

A less than positive one - http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/alternat/AT130.html

and a pretty good entry from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelation_therapy


Finally, a five year study - http://nccam.nih.gov/chelation/