title: Mitral valve repair in children with rheumatic heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term results of mitral valve repair in children with chronic rheumatic heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1988 through December 2003, 278 children (153 male children) underwent mitral valve repair. Mean age was 11.7 +/- 2.9 years (range, 2-15 years). One hundred seventy-three children (62%) were in the New York Heart Association functional class III or IV. Congestive heart failure was present in 24 (8.6%). Reparative procedures included posterior collar annuloplasty (n = 242), commissurotomy (n = 187), cusp-level chordal shortening (n = 94), cusp thinning (n = 71), cleft suture (n = 65), and cusp excision or plication (n = 10). Associated procedures included atrial septal defect closure (n = 22), aortic valve repair/replacement (n = 13), and tricuspid valve repair (n = 3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early mortality was 2.2% (6 patients). Preoperative left ventricular dysfunction was associated with greater mortality. Median follow-up was 56.5 months (mean, 58.9. +/- 32.3 months; range, 5 to 180 months). One hundred seventy-seven survivors (65%) had no or trivial mitral regurgitation. Sixteen patients (6%) required reoperation for valve dysfunction. There were 7 late deaths (2.6%). Actuarial, reoperation-free, and event-free survivals at a median follow-up of 56.5 months were 95.2% +/- 1.5%, 91.6% +/- 2.2%, and 55.9% +/- 3.5%, respectively; at 15 years, they were 95.2% +/- 1.5%, 85.9% +/- 5.9%, and 46.7% +/- 4.7%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mitral valve repair in children with chronic rheumatic heart disease is feasible and provides acceptable long-term results.
authors.affiliation: Cardiothoracic Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sachin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Talwar
authors.forename: Manithara Raman
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rajesh
authors.forename: Anandaraja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: Arkalgud Sampath
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002815:Chordae Tendineae / Q000601:surgery; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000601:surgery; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000601:surgery; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000601:surgery; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000601:surgery