title: Artificial chordae for mitral valve repair: mid-term clinical and echocardiographic results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper reports on the mid-term clinical and echocardiographic results of mitral valve repair with chordal replacement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-nine patients (mean age 61 +/- 14 years) underwent mitral valve repair with chordal replacement. The etiology was degenerative in 53 (77 %), rheumatic in 7 (10 %), ischemic in 6 (9 %) and infective in 3 (4 %). Mean ejection fraction was 58 +/- 14. In 35 patients (51 %), a minimally invasive approach was used. Mean follow-up time was 45 +/- 27 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anterior leaflet chordae were replaced in 58 (84 %) patients. There were 3 operative deaths. Freedom from non-trivial recurrent mitral regurgitation (MR) was 81.3 +/- 8.7 % at 97 months. Follow-up echocardiographic controls showed mild recurrent MR in 5 (8 %) patients and moderate in 2 (3.2 %). These two patients required reoperation due to mitral annulus redilation after suture annuloplasty. Competent neochordae were found at reoperation. Freedom from reoperation at 97 months was 96.6 +/- 2.4 %. Four patients died during follow-up resulting in an actuarial survival of 87 +/- 6.2 %.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The replacement of chordae tendineae with ePTFE sutures during mitral valve repair has shown good mid-term results. The implantation of the neochordae can be also performed safely using minimally invasive procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. docpsr@yahoo.com
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Risteski
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aybek
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dzemali
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doss
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moritz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D002815:Chordae Tendineae / Q000601:surgery*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures
chemical_list: D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene