Mitral valve repair--early and medium-term results.
BACKGROUND
Mitral valve repair is the treatment of choice in patients with mitral insufficiency. Mechanical valves, even when functioning perfectly, are less efficient hemodynamically than a native mitral valve and also have attendant morbidity from thrombolism, anticoagulant-related hemorrhage, and endocarditis. Long-term data have confirmed the durability of mitral repair.


METHODS
Mitral valve repair was performed on 89 consecutive patients (20 patients in ischemic group) between Nov. 1997 and Jan. 2002, In all patients, posterior annuloplasty with Capentier ring (30) or polytetrafluoroethylene Teflon strip (59) was performed. The repair technique included quadrangular resection, artificial chordae replacement, chordal transfer, and chordal shortening.


RESULTS
There were 5 early deaths (4 deaths in the ischemic group), 9 major complications (5 complications in the ischemic group). Mean follow-up in the entire patient series was 25.18 months. There was one late death and one thromboembolic cerebral episode. Two patients required reoperation after mitral repair. There was a significant improvement in New York Heart Association functional class and grade of mitral regurgitation.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of our study confirm that mitral valve repair results in acceptable operative mortality rate, excellent early and medium-term results and incidence of post operative complications.
Tsai
Hung-Wen
HW
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
Wang
Chung-Chi
CC
Wei
Hao-Ji
HJ
Lai
Fong-Chung
FC
Hsieh
Shih-Rong
SR
Chang
Yen
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology