1 The Development of Artificial Heart Valves: Introduction and Historical Perspective.- 2 The Evaluation of Patients for Prosthetic Valve Implantation.- Mitral Stenosis.- Rheumatic Mitral Regurgitation.- Nonrheumatic Mitral Regurgitation.- Combined Mitral Stenosis and Regurgitation.- Aortic Stenosis.- Aortic Regurgitation.- Combined Aortic Stenosis and Regurgitation.- Combined Mitral and Aortic Valve Disease.- Tricuspid Valve Disease.- Pulmonic Valve Disease.- Summary.- References.- 3 The Radiology of Prosthetic Heart Valves.- Preoperative Patient Selection.- Postoperative Evaluation.- Radiographic Identification of Prosthetic Valves.- Radiographic Evaluation Following Valve Replacement.- Complications of Prosthetic Valves.- Magnetic Resonance Imaging.- Summary.- References.- 4 Ultrasonography of Cardiac Valves.- Noninvasive Techniques.- Mechanical Prostheses.- Bioprostheses.- Left Ventricular Dysfunction.- References.- 5 Surgical Aspects of Valve Implantation.- Types of Artificial Heart Valves.- Complications of Valve Substitutes.- Technical Principles of Valve Replacement.- References.- 6 Postoperative Management of Patients with Implanted Valvular Prostheses.- Early Postoperative Management.- Long-Term Management of Patients with Valvular Prostheses.- References.- 7 Prosthetic Cardiac Valves in Children.- The Mitral Valve in Children.- The Aortic Valve in Children.- The Pulmonary Valve in Children.- The Tricuspid Valve in Children.- The Choice of Prosthetic Valves for Children.- Prosthetic Valves in Children-An Overview.- Acknowledgment.- 8 Pathology of Cardiac Valve Replacement.- Early Postoperative Pathology.- Late Pathologic Features.- Prosthesis-Associated Complications.- Analysis of Explanted Specimens.- Acknowledgment.- References.- 9 Bioengineering of Mechanical and Biological Heart Valve Substitutes.- Dynamic Valve Motion Analysis.- In Vitro Hydrodynamic Characteristics.- Results.- Discussion.- Acknowledgment.- References.- Appendix-Theory.- 10 Cardiac Valve Identification Atlas and Guide.- Coratomic.- Cutter.- Edwards.- Daggett.- Hancock.- Hemex Scientific.- Medical Engineering.- Medical Incorporated.- Medtronic.- Mitral Medical.- Pemco.- St. Jude Medical.- Sao Paulo Heart Institute.- Shiley.- Sutter.- Valve Research.