title: Mitral valve surgery for functional mitral regurgitation: prognostic role of tricuspid regurgitation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of untreated moderate-or-more functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) on mid-term outcome of patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) undergoing mitral valve surgery (MVS).
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1988 to April 2003, 165 patients having FMR underwent MVS with untreated FTR. Patients with organic mitral or tricuspid valve disease were excluded. The entire population was divided into two groups, group A: 102 patients (FTR 0/1+), group B: 63 patients (FTR 2+/3+). No statistical difference was found between two groups concerning preoperative and operative variables. MV was repaired in 137 and replaced in 28 cases; the impact of untreated moderate-or-more FTR was estimated by Cox analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-day mortality was 6.7 (5.9% group A vs 7.9% group B, p=0.607). Five-year actuarial survival was 73.5% (66.6-80.4%); 88.2% (83.0-93.4%) group A versus 46.0% (33.7-58.3%) group B, p<0.001; the possibility to be alive in NYHA class I-II was 65.8% (58.4-73.2%); 78.4% (72.3-84.5%) group A versus 41.2% (29.1-53.3%) group B, p<0.001. Cox analysis confirmed the impact of untreated moderate-or-more FTR on 5-year survival (HR=3.1, 95% CI=1.8-5.1, p<0.001) and possibility to be alive in NYHA class I-II (HR=3.0, 95% CI=1.8-4.9, p<0.001). After a median interval time of 28 months (IQR=11-60), TR grade was echocardiographically assessed in 122 (79.2%) of 154 patients surviving the first month. In group A (87 patients), TR grade decreased significantly from 0.7+/-0.5 to 0.3+/-0.5 (p<0.001) in the early postoperative period. Then, it increased again to 0.6+/-0.7 at follow-up (p<0.001); no difference was found between preoperative and follow-up time (p=ns). In group B (35 cases), TR grade decreased significantly from 2.2+/-0.4 to 1.3+/-0.7 in the early postoperative period (p<0.001), but then increased again to 2.2+/-0.9 (p<0.001 vs postoperative value; p=0.838 vs preoperative value). Cox analysis confirmed that the progression of TR grade at follow-up is a risk factor for lower survival and possibility to be alive in NYHA class I-II.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with untreated moderate-or-more FTR had survival and survival in NYHA class I-II lower than patients with untreated less-than-moderate FTR at 5-year follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Mauro
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bivona
authors.forename: Angela L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Iacò
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Contini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gagliardi
authors.forename: Egidio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varone
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gallina
authors.forename: Antonio M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Calafiore
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*