title: Closed mitral commissurotomy in Istanbul, Turkey: results in 4403 cases.
abstract: During the 17 years from 1962 to 1979, 4403 closed mitral commissurotomies were performed at the Istanbul Thoracic Surgery Center in Istanbul, Turkey. There were 60 hospital deaths (1.36%), 30 cerebral emboli (0.68%), 14 peripheral emboli (0.31%), five instances of severe mitral regurgitation (0.11%) and improvement of at least one New York Heart Association Class level in 92.2% of the patients available for late follow-up 1 to 17 years later (mean 4.2 years). Closed mitral commissurotomy without cardiopulmonary bypass can be a safe and effective alternative to open mitral commissurotomy where circumstances dictate its use.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgical Center, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eren
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samilgil
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozler
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ulufer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tulpar