Repair of the anterior mitral leaflet.
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.
Alvarez
J M
JM
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW.
Gray
D
D
Choong
C
C
Deal
C W
CW
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