title: Early Results of a Novel Mitral Valve Repair Procedure: The Interpapillary Polytetrafluoroethylene Bridge Formation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical repair of ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) associated with chordal rupture in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy is challenging as it aims to correct several structural pathologies at once. There are ongoing studies evaluating multiple approaches, however long term results are still scarce.
  
  
  RESULTS
  19 patients with IMR underwent mitral valve repair with interpapillary polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bridge and neochordae formation at the Zala County Teaching Hospital. Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting was performed in all patients. Post-procedural Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE) showed no mitral regurgitation (MR) in eighteen (94.7%) patients, with a leaflet coaptation mean height of 8 ± 3 mm. No operative mortality was observed. At the follow up (mean 17.7 ± 4.6 months; range 9 to 24 months), 17 (89%) patients showed no leakage and 2 had regurgitation grade ≤1, with documented NYHA functional class I or II in all patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This retrospective study presents the first results of a novel surgical approach to treating ischemic mitral regurgitation. The interpapillary PTFE bridge formation is a safe and feasible surgical procedure that is reproducible, time sparing and effectively eliminates mitral valve regurgitation with promising long-term results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zala County Teaching Hospital & Pécs University of Science, Hungary.
authors.forename: Nasri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zala County Teaching Hospital & Pécs University of Science, Hungary.
authors.forename: Károly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gombocz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zala County Teaching Hospital & Pécs University of Science, Hungary.
authors.forename: Kiddy L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Ume
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Petz Aladár Teaching Hospital & Pécs University of Science, Hungary.
authors.forename: Amer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sayour
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Infirmary Hospital of Edinburgh (NHS Lothian) The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Daniel Alejandro
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lerman
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zala County Teaching Hospital & Pécs University of Science, Hungary.
authors.forename: Aref
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rashed
keywords: Mitral regurgitation; Mitral valve repair; Neochordae; Papillary muscle