title: [Mitral valve insufficiency due to ballooning. A surgical series of 70 cases].
abstract: The authors report 70 cases of mitral regurgitation due to ballooning. For the surgeon this is the most frequent cause of degenerative mitral regurgitation in patients around 60-years-old. The aetiology still remains unknown. There are two opposing theories--the congenital and the acquired. The appearances at operation are characteristic--a localised or diffuse ballooning of one or both cusps with elongation of the chordae attached to the ballooned portion. Two histological features are noted--myxomatous degeneration of the cusp and the absence of any inflammatory process. Ballooning may be asymptomatic and bening for a long time before evolving progressively or suddenly into important mitral regurgitation. The pre-operative diagnosis is aided by left ventricular angiography and echocardiography. Surgical treatment, guided by the findings at operation, usually involves mitral valve replacement or, less frequently, mitral valve repair.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000473:pathology; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies
vernacular_title: Insuffisance mitrale par ballonisation. A propos d'une série chirurgicale de 70 observations.