title: Management of mitral regurgitation. Optimal timing for surgery.
abstract: Chronic mitral regurgitation is a progressive disorder that can produce myocardial dysfunction in the absence of symptoms. Improvements in surgical techniques have resulted in earlier intervention, at times in asymptomatic patients. This article discusses the factors that influence prognosis, reviews the evidence supporting earlier intervention and provides guidelines for the management of patients with this lesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Quiñones
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003657:Decision Making; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005080:Exercise Test; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome