THROMBOSIS OF A MITRAL-VALVE PROSTHESIS A ND DISSEMINATED MALIGNANCY - TREATMENT BY THROMBOLYSIS

The authors report the case of a 63-year-old woman with occlusive thro mbosis of a mitral valve prosthesis and cardiogenic shock successfully treated by systemic thrombolytic therapy. This treatment was given de spite metastatic hepatic and bone breast cancer. This, and other recen tly reported cases, argues in favour of widening the indication of thr ombolysis as treatment of first intention in cases of obstruction of a trioventricular valve prostheses. Nevertheless, the relative safety of surgical treatment and the risk of systemic thromboembolism of thromb olysis, incites caution and reservation of medical therapy for careful ly selected patients.