An infant case of a rupture of chordae tendineae; report of a case

We report a case of 5-month-old boy with severe mitral regurgitation due to a rupture of chordae tendinae. Cardiac echography showed a prolapse of the anterior cusp of the mitral valve. He was progressively deteriorated despite maximal medical treatment, and a surgical intervention was performed 15 hours after the onset. The operative finding was a rupture of chordae tendinae attached to the anterior cusp of the mitral valve. The infant underwent mitral valve plasty using artificial chordae together with partial annulo-plasty. A rupture of chordae tendineae is extremely rare in infants, and its cause is yet unknown. Chordal reconstruction is feasible even at this early stage of life, although the long-term follow-up is mandatory.     

Mitral valve replacement with preservation of chordae tendinae: rationale and technical considerations

Mitral valve replacement with preservation of chordae tendinae and papillary muscles may preserve postoperative left ventricular function better than conventional mitral valve replacement in patients with chronic mitral regurgitation. The technical aspects and the rationale for mitral valve replacement with preservation of chordae tendinae are reviewed.     

Accessory mitral valve leaflet in an adult with coronary artery disease

Accessory mitral valve leaflet is a very rare cause of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. We report a patient presenting this cardiac abnormality who undergone cardiac surgery. A 60-year-old man, presented coronary artery disease and moderate left ventricular tract obstruction due to accessory mitral valve leaflet. The accessory mitral valve leaflet had the typical morphology of a parachute-shaped attached partially to the anterior mitral valve leaflet, with chordae tendinae attached to: 1) an accessory papillary muscle inserted at the free-wall closed to the apex; 2) interconnected with the chordae tendinae of the anterior mitral valve leaflet; 3) a second accessory papillary muscle inserted to the interventricular septum. He underwent successful coronary revascularization of 2 vessels and accessory leaflet excision. A review of 21 cases with accessory mitral valve leaflet is reported.     

先心病并发细菌性心内膜炎的外科治疗

对１８例先天性心脏畸形并发细菌性心内膜炎病人进行直视心脏手术，其中１３例在感染控制后手术，５例于感染活动期行限期或急症手术。感染病灶主要在左心系统者５例，其中３例主动脉瓣叶破坏行瓣膜替换，２例二尖瓣大瓣腱索断裂行腱索移植和瓣环成形。病灶主要在右心系统者１３例，剔除或切除病变组织和赘生物并行三尖瓣修复５例，带单瓣人工血管片加宽右室流出道１例。所有先天性心脏畸形均同期处理。手术死亡１例，死亡率５．６％。本组资料表明：先心病并发细菌性心内膜炎者感染病灶多在右心系统，常伴肺部感染，应积极控制感染和尽早手术，于彻底清除病灶同时矫治先天性心脏畸形；对损毁瓣膜尽可能采用修复术。术后选用抗生素的种类和疗程应根据不同病情而区别对待。     

The anatomy of the heart

The normal heart is the size of the patient's closed fist. The venae cavae drain into the right atrium, which bears the fossa ovalis and receives the coronary sinus and the anterior cardiac vein. The atrium empties into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve. Both ventricles have trabeculated walls (trabeculae carneae), and from some project the papillary muscles, bearing the chordae tendinae attached to the free borders of the tricuspid valve. The same arrangement is seen on the left side. The right ventricle leads to the pulmonary trunk, guarded by its three valve cusps. Oxygenated blood returns to the left atrium via the four pulmonary veins and passes to the left ventricle via the mitral valve. Exit is through the tricuspid aortic valve. The right and left coronary arteries arise above the valves, their orifices lying in the sinuses of Valsava. The right coronary artery lies in the right part of the atrioventricular groove and gives off the posterior interventricular artery. The left coronary arteries divide into the anterior (descending) interventricular branch and the circumflex branch. Major veins accompany the arteries, except for the anterior cardiac vein, which drains directly into the right atrium.     

The anatomy of the heart

The normal heart is the size of the patient’s closed fist. The venae cavae drain into the right atrium, which bears the fossa ovalis and receives the coronary sinus and the anterior cardiac vein. The atrium empties into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve. Both ventricles have trabeculated walls (trabeculae carneae), and from some project the papillary muscles, bearing the chordae tendinae attached to the free borders of the tricuspid valve. The same arrangement is seen on the left side. The right ventricle leads to the pulmonary trunk, guarded by its three valve cusps. Oxygenated blood returns to the left atrium via the four pulmonary veins and passes to the left ventricle via the mitral valve. Exit is through the tricuspid aortic valve. The right and left coronary arteries arise above the valves, their orifices lying in the sinuses of Valsava. The right coronary artery lies in the right part of the atrioventricular groove and gives off the posterior interventricular artery. The left coronary arteries divide into the anterior (descending) interventricular branch and the circumflex branch. Major veins accompany the arteries, except for the anterior cardiac vein, which drains directly into the right atrium.     

Accessory mitral valve associated with aortic regurgitation in an elderly patient: report of a case

We encountered a 75-year-old man who complained of exertional dyspnea. An echocardiographic examination showed aortic regurgitation and a tumor in the left ventricular outflow tract. Under complete extracorporeal circulation, we surgically made an incision of the ascending aorta with a slight thickening of the aortic valve and an enlarged annulus. After excising the aortic valve, an examination of the subvalvular region revealed mitral valve-like tissue extending from the annular region of the right coronary cusp to the ventricular septum, while the chordae tendinae was attached to the septum. This issue was excised, and the aortic valve was replaced with a 27-mm SJM valve. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged in good condition on postoperative day 30. An accessory mitral valve is extremely rare. Since this indication for surgical treatment is associated with congenital heart disease or a left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, most patients are young. Our patient had no associated cardiac anomalies and no pressure gradient attributable to a left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. This accessory mitral valve was discovered during aortic valve replacement surgery. To our knowledge, our patient is the oldest reported with an accessory mitral valve to have undergone a surgical resection.     

Aortic and Mitral Valve Replacement in a Patient with Acute Febrile Neutrophilic Dermatosis (Sweet's Syndrome): Report of a Case

A 29-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with severe orthopnea, fever, and acute dermatosis. She had a 5-year history of episodic acute neutrophilic dermatosis and peripheral leukocytosis following a high fever, which were symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of Sweet's syndrome. Echocardiography revealed remarkable dysfunction of the left ventricle due to severe aortic regurgitation, which had not been present at a previous admission when mild mitral regurgitation was detected. The aortic and mitral valves were replaced with prosthetic valves on an emergency basis. The leaflets of the aortic valve were very thin and appeared fragile. The anterior leaflet of the mitral valve showed severe prolapse due to the torn chordae and hypoplasia of the posterior strut chordae. Her postoperative course was uneventful. Microscopic examination revealed fibrosal degeneration and the infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages into both heart valves. This may be the first case report of valvulitis and Sweet's syndrome occurring simultaneously. Received: January 28, 2000 / Accepted: March 6, 2001     

A giant left atrial myxoma with severe mitral valve regurgitation: report of a case

A 76-year-old female underwent operation with a diagnosis of a left atrial myxoma with accompanied mitral regurgitation. Although no clinical findings of mitral regurgitation were noticed preoperatively, degenerative changes to the anterior leaflet as well as chordae tendinae possibly due to mechanical damage by the movement of the giant tumor through the mitral valve complex were observed in operation. Resection of the tumor and mitral valve replacement were successfully performed. Our case suggests that it is indispensable to investigate the mitral valve during operation even in case of the left atrial tumor with no preoperative findings of mitral regurgitation.     

Papillary muscle rupture: an unusual complication of chordal sparing mitral valve replacement

An adult patient with advanced rheumatic heart disease undergoing chordal sparing mitral valve replacement as well as aortic valve replacement is presented. The patient developed an unusual complication of an infarction of the retained head of the anterolateral papillary muscle with subsequent spontaneous rupture 72-hours postoperatively. The ruptured head of the papillary muscle was successfully resected via an aortotomy through the aortic valve prosthesis. The patient made an uneventful recovery. Care to avoid excessive tension on the preserved chordae during mitral valve replacement, especially in the setting of chronic rheumatic carditis, is stressed.     

Mitral valve replacement for heart failure due to hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy; report of a case

Myotomy or myectomy are well known as the standard treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), and mitral valve replacement (MVR) is reported to achieve the equivalent therapeutic effect. And recently, combined treatment with artificial chordae replacement and MVR has been reported to improve the prognosis. We herein describe a case of a patient with HOCM who developed acute exacerbation of heart failure. The patient was 74-year-old woman, who had been followed by chronic atrial fibrillation (Af) and HOCM for 3 years. The findings at echocardiography included septal hypertrophy, systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve, severe stenosis of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), and severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR). Calcification of mitral valve was also found. After the medical management, the patient was treated successfully by MVR using a mechanical valve combined with artificial chordae replacement. Maze procedure was also performed for chronic Af. The postoperative course was uneventful. MVR combined with artificial chordae replacement could be one of the useful strategies for HOCM associated with severe MR and organic changes of mitral valve.     

Does Preservation of the Posterior Chordae Tendineae Enhance Survival during Mitral Valve Replacement?

During a 30-month period, 51 patients underwent mitral valve replacement. There were 3 hospital deaths (5.9%), 2 of which were due to ventricular rupture. The 3 patients who died were among 13 patients in whom mitral valve replacement was combined with tricuspid or aortic valve operation or both. Postmortem findings in the 2 patients who died of ventricular rupture showed that the ventricular tears were located between the atrioventricular groove and the unresected papillary muscle stumps, in an area of ventricle formerly tethered by the posterior chordae tendineae. In the last 14 patients in the series, the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve and its chordae tendineae were left intact, and there was no mortality or prosthetic valve dysfunction. In patients with myxomatous or ischemic disease, the posterior leaflet was left completely intact. For patients with fibrocalcific rheumatic disease, we have developed a technique of partial excision and debridement of the posterior leaflet, preserving the intermediate and basal chordae tendineae attachments. With the techniques described, preservation of all or part of the posterior leaflet and its chordae tendineae does not appear to interfere with prosthetic valve function and, by reducing the risk of ventricular rupture, should enhance survival after mitral valve replacement.     

Surgical Techniques for Treatment of Bacterial Endocarditis of the Mitral Valve

Bacterial endocarditis of the mitral valve appears to be much less common than bacterial endocarditis of the aortic valve. One of the main etiologic factors is the presence of degenerative lesions of the mitral apparatus, ballooning or mitral floppy valve. The surgical anatomy of the lesions is described: vegetations, perforations, rupture of chordae tendinae, abscess of the mitral ring observed in the isolated mitral endocarditis, mitral-aortic dislocation, abscesses and aneurysms of the mitral-aortic fibrosa and jet lesions on the anterior mitral leaflet. In the isolated primitive mitral infective lesions, all the technical skills are directed toward the prevention of the perivalvular leakage of the prostheses. Special procedures are described for the management of the abscesses of the mitral ring. In patients with mitral-aortic lesions, the main problem is treatment of the dislocation of the annuli or aneurysms of the mitral-aortic fibrosa. Despite technical advances, the surgical prognosis of the mitral endocarditis remains severe. In a personal series, the authors recorded a mortality of 12% in isolated mitral cases and 42% in the combined mitral-aortic patients. Early surgical treatment remains the most significant factor in decreasing the fatality of such lesions.     

Left ventricular dimension changes after chordal preservation in mitral valve replacement

Clinical and experimental evidence regarding the benefits of preserving the subvalvular apparatus during mitral valve replacement has been debated. Reductions in the left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions have been shown, by echocardiography, to correlate well with the levels of clinical improvement following successful valve surgery. Seventynine patients underwent mitral valve replacement for mitral stenosis, regurgitation or both. In 42 patients, a conventional valve replacement was performed, excising both leaflets along with their chordae. In the remaining 37, a modified technique was used preserving the posterior leaflet and chordae. The two groups did not differ significantly in their demographic profiles, clinical classes and pathology. Echocardiographic assessment of left atrial and left ventricular dimensions was done preoperatively and prior to discharge. Median left atrial dimensions decreased in both groups. Postoperatively, the left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic parameters remained either the same or showed an increase in the conventional group. Patients in the modified group, however registered a decrease in left ventricular dimensions. Such changes further supported the clinical evidence suggesting benefits of preserving the chordae tendinae in mitral valve replacement.     

Effectiveness of transesophageal echocardiography in diagnosing complete rupture of the papillary muscle after acute myocardial infarction

We reviewed a case undergoing emergency surgery for acute post-infarction papillary muscle rupture. The patient was a 79-year-old woman transferred to our hospital with cardiogenic shock who required endotracheal intubation. The acute myocardial infarction diagnosis was based on the electrocardiographic findings. She had developed progressively worsening pulmonary edema. No heart murmur was detected. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated hyperdynamic cardiac motion and an intracardiac massive turbulent color Doppler signal, but neither mitral regurgitation nor the ruptured papillary muscle head was demonstrated. Her deteriorating condition precluded cardiac catheterization. We performed transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which demonstrated massive mitral regurgitation and the ruptured anterior papillary muscle connected to normal chordae tendineae and anterior and commissural leaflets. During systole, the head of the ruptured papillary muscle moved like a whip in the left atrium. Emergency surgery was performed. Complete rupture of the anterior papillary muscle head was found, and the mitral valve was replaced with a porcine bioprosthesis (Mosaic #25). Postoperatively, she was weaned from intra-aortic balloon pumping after 2 days and recovered uneventfully. Postoperative coronary angiography demonstrated no significant coronary arterial stenosis. To make the diagnosis of post-infarction papillary muscle rupture, we recommend immediate TEE.     

Congenital Anomalous Chordae Tendinae of the Mitral Valve: An Unusual Presentation of Mitral Insufficiency in Children

Abstract : Anomalous chordae tendinae (CT) originating from mitral valve leaflet is a rare congenital mitral valve anomaly. Our case report is unique as this anomaly is extremely rare in this pediatric age group. The anomalous CT extended from anterior mitral leaflet to the atrial septum (AS). Surgical repair in the form of anomalous CT excision, anterior leaflet chordoplasty, and posterior mitral annuloplasty was successfully performed. Congenital mitral valve (MV) leaflet or chordae anomalies are rare. In anomalous CT from MV leaflet to the AS, the surgical experience is extremely limited and only reported in adults and adolescents. 1 - 4 We describe an unusual presentation of severe mitral insufficiency (MR) associated with anomalous CT from the anterior mitral valve leaflet (AMVL) to the AS that prompted successful repair during childhood. (J Card Surg 2010;25:584‐585)     

Mitral valve repair with concomitant coronary bypass for partial rupture of an anterior papillary muscle

We report a case of severe mitral regurgitation due to partial rupture of an anterior papillary muscle. A 63-year-old man was admitted to a hospital with heart failure. He was treated with diuretic agents effectively. Echocardiography demonstrated severe mitral regurgitation with prolapse of posterior leaflet and small mass-like structure on the prolapsed segment that was diagnosed the thickened leaflet. Coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of left anterior descending artery (LAD) filled with good collateral from right posterior descending artery and severe diffuse stenosis of circumflex artery (Cx). The patient underwent surgery on the 33rd day after admission with heart failure. At surgery, we recognized rupture of one of the heads of anterior papillary muscle that was entangled in chordae of the prolapsed segment. Mitral valve repair and coronary revascularization to LAD and Cx was successfully performed. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on the 28th postoperative day.     

先天性心脏病术中心脏瓣膜的保护和矫治

目的 总结先天性心脏病术后因瓣膜功能不全再手术的经验。方法 回顾分析先天性心脏病术后再行瓣膜手术13例患者的临床资料,其中室间隔缺损修补术后8例,部分心内膜垫缺损修补术后3例,法洛四联症和房间隔缺损修补术后各1例。第1次手术时即存在二尖瓣轻～中度关闭不全6例,主动脉瓣关闭不全1例;新出现瓣膜功能异常6例,其中2例因补片漏致三尖瓣关闭不全,2例因前叶腱索断裂致三尖瓣关闭不全,1例因残留右心室流出道狭窄继发三尖瓣关闭不全,1例因伤及主动脉瓣并发二尖瓣和三尖瓣关闭不全。13例中,行二尖瓣置换6例,三尖瓣置换2例,主动脉瓣置换1例,行主动脉瓣置换并二尖瓣、三尖瓣成形1例,三尖瓣成形3例。同时修补残余漏,疏通右心室流出道。结果 术后发生低心排综合征3例。2例术后早期分别死于脑气栓和呼吸循环衰竭。11例术后痊愈出院,随访1～8年,心功能良好。结论 先天性心脏病矫治术中应注意心脏瓣膜的保护,合并的瓣膜功能异常应积极修补,及时地再手术可取得良好效果。     

Partial tricuspid valve transfer for repair of mitral insufficiency due to ruptured chordae tendineae

BACKGROUND: A new technique is suggested for the reconstructive surgical treatment of mitral regurgitation. It involves partial transfer of the tricuspid valve of the patient to the mitral valve, in order to provide chordae to correct anterior leaflet prolapse of the mitral valve, secondary to rupture of the chordae tendineae. METHODS: From January 1991 to May 1997, 20 patients with mitral insufficiency due to rupture of the chordae were operated on. The prevailing cause was myxomatous degeneration (70%). Patients were in New York Heart Association functional class III and IV. RESULTS: There were no hospital deaths. Two patients were reoperated on. Eighteen patients (90%) are alive with their own valves (class I and II). Doppler echocardiogram mean values were: ejection fraction, 0.65; left atrial diameter, 4.2 cm; mitral area, 2.4 cm2; mitral transvalvular gradient, 3.3 mm Hg. No regurgitation or mild regurgitation was observed in 16 (94.1%) of the 17 cases evaluated. Mean tricuspid valvular area was 3.3 cm2. In all cases, no tricuspid regurgitation was present or it was mild. CONCLUSIONS: Partial transfer of the tricuspid valve to the mitral valve is an effective procedure for the surgical treatment of mitral valve insufficiency secondary to ruptured chordae tendineae of the anterior leaflet.     

A case of subaortic stenosis due to parashute accessory mitral valve tissue]

An 11-year-old boy with subaortic stenosis due to parashute accessory mitral valve tissue was treated successfully with surgery. He had a mild left ventricular-aortic pressure gradient associated with mild aortic regurgitation. The abnormal subaortic tissue was attached to the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve and was complicated with discrete subaortic stenosis. This tissue had five chordae connecting to the anterior papillary muscle and the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. By resection of this accessory tissue and the part of the septal discrete stenotic tissue, stenosis of the left ventricular outflow tract was relieved completely.