C. Fucci et al., IMPROVED RESULTS WITH MITRAL-VALVE REPAIR USING NEW SURGICAL TECHNIQUES, European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery, 9(11), 1995, pp. 621-627
From January 1987 to July 1994, 299 consecutive patients ranging from
4 to 80 years of age underwent mitral repair for pure valve insufficie
ncy due to degenerative disease (59 %), rheumatic disease (23 %), endo
carditis (12 %) or ischemic heart disease (6 %). During the initial pe
riod, a variety of reparative methods were used following the principl
es originally described by Carpentier. More recently, in our instituti
on other surgical techniques have been introduced: specifically, prola
pse of the anterior leaflet was corrected either by replacing the chor
dae with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sutures or simply by anchoring
the prolapsing free edge to the facing edge of the posterior leaflet
(''edge-to-edge'' technique). Chordal transposition has also been used
occasionally to correct the prolapse of the anterior leaflet. The hos
pital mortality rate was 1.3 %. According to actuarial methods, the ov
erall survival rate was 94 % at 7 years, and freedom from reoperation
was 86 %. Significant incremental risk factors for reoperation were: n
o use of prosthetic ring, correction of the prolapse of the anterior l
eaflet by triangular resection or chordal shortening and ischemic etio
logy of the mitral insufficiency (freedom from reoperation at 7 years
was 61 %, 56 % and 51 %, respectively). In the late postoperative peri
od (mean follow-up 3.6 years), 95 % of the patients were in NYHA class
I or II; four patients had thromboembolic episodes, two hemorrhagic c
omplications and two endocarditis. No patient in whom the prolapse of
the anterior leaflet was corrected by the recently introduced techniqu
e has required reoperation. The anterior mitral leaflet prolapse was t
herefore neutralized as an incremental risk factor for reoperation and
this has contributed to the improved overall results of mitral valve
repair.