title: Current status of mitral valve reconstruction in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in the United States today and its incidence is increasing. Despite improvements with medical management approximately 50% of patients with CHF die within 3 years of presentation. Heart transplantation is now considered standard treatment for selected patients with severe CHF and end-stage heart disease; however, it is only applicable to a small percentage of patients. In an effort to solve this problem medical and surgical strategies are rapidly expanding and evolving. Mitral valve reconstruction represents an alternative surgical strategy in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy that will allow for preservation of the limited number of donor organs for those patients who have no other surgical or medical alternatives.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Smolens
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bossone
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Bolling
mesh_terms: D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D006801:Humans; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D014463:Ultrasonography