title: Repair of the anterior mitral leaflet.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Repair rather than replacement of the diseased mitral valve has been the goal of the cardiac surgeon. Although well accepted for posterior leaflet pathology, a diseased anterior leaflet was believed by some to be irreparable.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the result of reconstructive mitral valve surgery involving the anterior mitral leaflet in a selected group of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty consecutive patients with degenerative (19), ischaemic (one) and congenital/calcific mitral regurgitation were evaluated. There were five females and 15 males with a mean age of 62 +/- 12 years (41-75 years). The technique used to repair these valves included chordal transposition, leaflet plication commissuroplasty and a new technique we call leaflet repositioning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no deaths, follow-up is complete with mean follow-up of 31 +/- five months (two-102) months. All patients have had 2DE and 13 TOE as well. There have been no reoperations due to failure of the repair, 95% of patients are in NYHA Class I-II post operative, while 15% have significant residual regurgitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Choong
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Deal
mesh_terms: D002815:Chordae Tendineae / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome