Immediate and early results of mitral valve repair at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.
OBJECTIVE
Comparison with prosthesis mitral valve replacement, mitral valve repair has lots of advantages. After valve repair, patients have better left ventricular function, a lower rate of thromboembolism and infective endocarditis. The authors studied early experience of mitral valve repair.


METHODS
From January 2000 to May 2002, 43 consecutive patients with mitral regurgitation had mitral valve repair. Valve disease was degenerative in 51.2 per cent, ischemic in 18.7 per cent, rheumatic in 13.9 per cent, infectious in 11.6 per cent, and others in 4.6 per cent. Surgical techniques included P2 quadrangular resection (n = 13; 30.95%), chordal tranfer (n = 11; 26.19%), only annuloplasty (n = 10; 23.8%), artificial chordae (n = 3; 7.14%), commissural closure (n = 3; 7.14%), and others in 2 cases (4.76%).


RESULTS
Immediate post-operative echocardiogram showed no or trivial regurgitation in 95 per cent and moderate regurgitation in 5 per cent. There was no operative mortality, but 1 case had hospital mortality with 1-24 months follow-up, 90 per cent of cases had FC I and the other (10%) were in FC II.


CONCLUSIONS
This preliminary experience provided promising immediate and early result. The authors believe that mitral valve repair is safe and seems to have a much better result than mitral valve replacement. However, a randomized control study and long-term follow-up, in the future, are important.
Singhatanadgige
Seri
S
Cardiovascular and Thoracic Unit, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 Thailand.
Boonyaratavej
Smonporn
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013785:Thailand; D013997:Time Factors