GENERAL CONCEPTS IN THE MORPHOLOGIC ASSESSMENT OF OPERATIVELY EXCISEDCARDIAC VALVES .1.

This two-part article discusses the general morphologic assessment of operatively excised cardiac valves and applies these principles to fun ctional classifications. All cardiac valves are categorized into steno tic and purely regurgitant (no element of stenosis) groups based upon structural features: presence or absence of commissural fusion, calcif ic deposits, and degree and location of fibrosis. Of 2980 operatively excised cardiac valves reviewed between 1962 and 1992, the most common lesion was aortic stenosis, followed by mitral stenosis and the combi nation of aortic and mitral stenosis.