title: Mitral valve repair: past, present, and future.
abstract: Mitral valve repair is the operation of choice for mitral valve regurgitation, with appropriate selection. Studies have shown that mitral repair is associated with a decrease in both long-term thromboembolic complications and mortality. Since its initial description, various selection criteria and techniques of mitral valve repair have been discussed in the literature. This review serves as a synopsis of the previous achievements, present status, and possible future directions of mitral valve repair, specifically from an Asian perspective. Vast experience has been amassed in understanding mitral valve pathophysiology, and excellent surgical treatments for mitral regurgitation have been developed. With the efforts of pioneers in the field of mitral valve repair, standard surgical treatment strategies have been proven to restore the life-expectancy of patients with degenerative mitral regurgitation to that of the age-adjusted population. Minimally invasive techniques of mitral valve repair further reduce access trauma, and could potentially benefit patients previously excluded from conventional surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, SAR, China. wonhl1@surgery.cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: Randolph H L
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Alex P W
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Calvin S H
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Innes Y P
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Malcolm J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Underwood
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D058386:Mitral Valve Annuloplasty; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018579:Patient Selection; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery