Comparison of outcomes of minimally invasive mitral valve surgery for posterior, anterior and bileaflet prolapse

Objective: We sought to compare the outcomes of minimally invasive mitral valve (MV) surgery for anterior (anterior mitral leaflet, AML), posterior (posterior mitral leaflet, PML) or bileaflet (BL) MV prolapse. Methods: Between August 1999 and December 2007, 1230 patients who presented with isolated AML (n = 156, 12.7%), isolated PML (n = 672, 54.6%) or BL (n = 402, 32.7%) MV prolapse underwent minimally invasive MV surgery. The preoperative mitral regurgitation (MR) grade was 3.3 ± 0.8, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 62 ± 12% and mean age was 58.9 ± 13.0 years; 836 patients (68.0%) were male. Mean follow-up time was 2.7 ± 2.1 years, and the follow-up was 100% complete. Results: Overall, the MV repair rate was 94.0% (1156 patients). Seventy-four patients (6.0%) received MV replacement. MV repair for PML prolapse was accomplished in 651 patients (96.9%), for AML in 142 patients (91%) and for BL in 363 patients (90.3%). Repair techniques consisted predominantly of leaflet resection and/or implantation of neochordae, combined with ring annuloplasty. Concomitant procedures were tricuspid valve surgery (n = 56), atrial fibrillation ablation (n = 286) and closure of an atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale (PFO) (n = 89). The overall duration of cardiopulmonary bypass was 127 ± 40 min and aortic cross-clamp time was 78 ± 33 min. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 11.6 ± 9.7 days for the overall group. Early echocardiographic follow-up revealed excellent valve function in the vast majority of patients, regardless of the repair technique, with a mean MR grade of 0.3 ± 0.5. For the overall group, 5-year survival rate was 87.3% (95% CI: 83.9–90.1) and 5-year freedom from cardiac reoperation rate was 95.6% (95% CI: 94.1–96.7). The log-rank test revealed no significant difference between the three groups regarding long-term survival or freedom from reoperation. Conclusions: Minimally invasive MV repair can be achieved with excellent results. Long-term outcomes and reoperation rates for AML prolapse are not significantly different from PML or BL prolapse.     

Mitral valve repair for degenerative disease with leaflet prolapse: to improve long-term outcomes

Purpose  Residual mitral regurgitation (MR) is a risk factor of reoperation. Here we report the midterm results of mitral valve repair for degenerative disease with mitral valve prolapse and identify important factors for durable repair. Methods  From April 1999 to September 2007, 116 patients with leaflet prolapse (59 men; mean age 63 years) underwent mitral valve repair; they consisted of 19 anterior, 67 posterior, 23 bileaflet, and 7 isolated commissures. The mean clinical and echocardiographic follow-ups were at 4.1 ± 2.3 and 3.3 ± 2.4 years, respectively. Results  Altogether, 12 patients showed recurrent moderate or severe MR during the follow-up period; and 10 of the 12 patients (83.8%) had recurrent moderate or severe MR within 1.5 years. Causes of early MR recurrence were dehiscence of sutured segments and ineffectiveness of the artificial chords. The rates of freedom from reoperation at 3 and 7 years were 95.3% ± 2.0% and 91.0% ± 4.7%, respectively. The rates of freedom from recurrent moderate or severe MR at 3 and 7 years were 90.5% ± 2.9% and 83.8% ± 5.9%, respectively. Conclusions  The prevention of dehiscence of the sutured segment and reestablishment of coaptation using artifi- cial chords are imperative to maintain the durability of mitral valve repair for patients with degenerative disease. This study was presented at the 60th annual scientific meeting of the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery.     

The upside-down technique.: A novel method to correct posterior leaflet prolapse

The upside-down technique is a method for ‘in situ’ secondary cordae transposition for posterior leaflet lesions. The segmental prolapse of the posterior leaflet is corrected by rotating the resected segment upside-down and reattaching it to the annulus and adjacent leaflet segments. As the procedure is completed, the original annular attachment becomes the new free edge. The secondary chords, originally positioned at the base of the segment, become primary chordae. It is indicated in all cases when quadrangular resection is not feasible such as in case of calcified annulus, posterior leaflet hypoplasia, or when the prolapsing portion is wide.     

Ischemic mitral valve prolapse: mechanisms and implications for valve repair

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the mechanisms of prolapse in ischemic mitral valve regurgitation (MR) and the techniques of valve repair. Methods: Out of 121 patients operated upon for ischemic MR, a prolapse was present in 44 patients (36.4%). The operation was performed emergently in four cases (9.1%) and electively in 40 patients (90.9%). Fifteen patients (34.1%) were operated upon within 60 days following acute myocardial infarction. Results: The diagnosis of prolapse had been overlooked by echography in five cases (11.4%). A commissural area was involved as the site of prolapse in 31 cases (70.4%). The mechanism of prolapse was a papillary muscle (PM) lesion in 38 cases (86.4%) (anterior PM: n=8, posterior PM n=36) or a chordal lesion in six cases (13.6%). PM injury was elongation (n=16), or rupture (total n=1, partial n=21, incomplete n=4). The operative technique was mitral valve repair with Carpentier's techniques in 42 cases (95.5%) or replacement in two cases (4.5%). Hospital mortality was 11.4% (n=4). The mean follow-up was to 44.7±29.6 months. Overall survival and freedom from reoperation were 68.3±9.0 and 89.9±5.7% at 5 years, respectively. Freedom from MR equal or > grade 2 was 69.7±9.5% at 5 years. Conclusions: The mechanisms of ischemic mitral valve prolapse were variable and tightly linked to the PM anatomy. A reliable mitral valve repair could be achieved in most cases with acceptable mid-term results.     

Mitral valve repair for a broad prolapse in the high posterior leaflet

We report a mitral valve repair for a broad prolapse in the high posterior leaflet. Prolapse in the high redundant posterior leaflet with elongation of the chordae had caused the severe mitral valve regurgitation in a 45-year-old man. At operation, the prolapsed portion of the middle scallop was quadrangularly resected in 22 mm wide and 17 mm high. We combined the sliding leaflet technique with the posterior leaflet folding plasty to reduce the height of the posterior leaflet and to lessen the degree of mitral annular plication. Mitral valve regurgitation disappeared after the operation. No left ventricular outflow obstruction associated with systolic anterior motion and no injury to the left circumflex artery were confirmed. These procedures after a broad resection of the high posterior leaflet could successfully prevent systolic anterior motion and injury to the left circumflex artery, and reduce the stress on the suture line of the leaflet.     

"缘对缘"二尖瓣成形术治疗二尖瓣前叶脱垂的早中期随访

目的 回顾性分析"缘对缘"二尖瓣成形术的早、中期效果.方法 1999年8月至2007年7月完成了128例"缘对缘"(edge to edge)二尖瓣成形术,分析其围术期及随访结果.结果 全组无手术死亡.平均随访46.8个月(1～97个月),无二次手术率96.9%,生存率98.4%.5例(3.9%)复发二尖瓣中、重度反流,其中4例(3.1%)行二尖瓣置换,1例早期缝线撕脱二次手术后死亡,1例拒绝二次手术而死亡.3例(2.3%)轻度二尖瓣狭窄,心功能Ⅰ级,仍在随访中.其余120例二尖瓣反流明显减轻(术前3.4对术后1.1,P＜0.05),心功能(NYHA)级别明显改善(术前2.4级对术后1.1级,P＜0.05).术后二尖瓣口面积平均为(2.45±0.70)cm2.左室舒张末径显著缩小[术前(57.9±9.0)mm对术后(48.6±7.6)mm,P＜0.05].术后左心室射血分数无明显改变(术前0.61±0.08对术后0.60±0.06,P=0.03).结论 "缘对缘"二尖瓣成形术是治疗二尖瓣前叶脱垂的安全、有效方法,早、中期效果良好.远期效果尚有待于进一步观察.     

Mitral valve repair for infective endocarditis

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the feasibility of mitral valve (MV) repair in patients with active or healed infective endocarditis (IE) with mitral regurgitation and evaluated effects on left ventricular (LV) function and structure. METHODS: Subjects comprised 19 patients who underwent MV operations for IE between December 2004 and September 2007. MV repair was performed for acute IE in 10 of 15 patients (67%) and for healed IE in 4 of 4 patients (100%). RESULTS: No early or late postoperative deaths were encountered. One patient underwent redo MV repair owing to severe mitral regurgitation 1 month postoperatively. Postoperative echocardiography after MV repair demonstrated less than trivial (acute IE in seven, healed IE in three) or mild (acute IE in three, healed IE in one) mitral regurgitation. In patients with MV replacement, the postoperative left atrial dimension (LAD) was decreased (51.5 +/- 39.2 vs. 39.2 +/- 1.9 mm, P = 0.007); however LV end-diastolic dimension (LVDD) and LV end-systolic dimension were unchanged. In patients with MV repair, LVDD (57.5 +/- 6.5 vs. 46.0 +/- 5.6 mm, P < 0.001), LV end-systolic dimension (36.1 +/- 5.2 vs. 32.4 +/- 6.2 mm, P = 0.04), LAD (43.1 +/- 8.1 vs. 33.6 +/- 7.7 mm, P = 0.003) were reduced. Postoperative ejection fraction (55.3 +/- 13.5% vs. 41.8% +/- 10.0%, P = 0.03) and fraction shortening (30.1% +/- 9.2% vs. 20.7% +/- 5.5%, P = 0.03) were better in patients with MV repair than those with MV replacement. CONCLUSIONS: MV repair is feasible in patients with both active and healed IE. MV repair preserves better LV function and structure postoperatively.     

Mitral valve reconstruction: long-term results of triangular resection for degenerative prolapse

Objectives. Surgical treatment of a prolapsed anterior leaflet of the mitral valve is relatively difficult and controversial compared with management of a prolapsed posterior leaflet. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term results of mitral valve repair, focusing on triangular resection of the anterior leaflet. Methods. Between October 1991 and December 2006, surgical treatment for a prolapsed anterior leaflet was performed in 57 patients with degenerative mitral valve disease, including 49 patients who had anterior leaflet resection. Patients with mitral stenosis, ischemic mitral regurgitation, and congenital valvular disease were excluded. The mean age of the patients was 51.7 ± 15.9 years, and the mean follow-up period was 6.2 ± 3.8 years. Results. The overall actuarial survival rate and noreoperation rate at 10 years were 91.7% ± 4.1% and 92.3% ± 3.7%, respectively. Reoperation was performed in 2 (4%) of 49 patients who had anterior leaflet resection. All patients survived after reoperation, which involved mitral valve replacement. Postoperative echocardiographic studies showed that the mitral valve area was significantly smaller after repair in patients with anterior leaflet resection, but the area was still large enough for a functional valve. Among the 57 patients, 42 had no mitral regurgitation, whereas it was mild in 7 patients and moderate in 3 patients. Conclusion. Triangular resection of a prolapsed anterior leaflet of the mitral valve provides durable and reliable long-term results.     

二尖瓣修复术治疗感染性心内膜炎所致二尖瓣反流患者

目的探讨二尖瓣修复及置换术对感染性心内膜炎所致二尖瓣反流患者的疗效。 方法选取2014年1月至2016年1月于淄博市中心医院就诊的126例感染性心内膜炎所致二尖瓣反流患者为研究对象,根据治疗过程中手术方式不同分为研究组和对照组（各63例）,研究组患者采取二尖瓣修复术进行治疗,对照组患者采取二尖瓣置换术进行治疗。详细记录入组患者的气管插管时间、入住重症加强护理病房（ICU）时间、感染发生率、手术患者病死率、住院天数、住院花费等;记录患者心脏超声检查结果：左心室射血分数、左心室舒张末期直径、左心室收缩末期直径、左心房直径及二尖瓣反流得分,并记录随访指标。 结果与对照组患者相比,研究组患者气管插管时间[（16.48 ± 8.06）h]、入住ICU时间[（2.12 ± 0.86）h]、术后病死率（1.59%）、住院时间[（22.46 ± 10.34）d]、栓塞发生率（4.76%）以及住院花费[（10.63 ± 3.57）万元]差异均有统计学意义（t = 1.35、P = 0.04,t = 3.68、P = 0.02,χ² = 4.67、P = 0.01,t = 4.03、P = 0.01,χ² = 1.69、P = 0.04,t = 3.06、P = 0.03）;研究组患者术后左心室射血分数[（49.06 ± 10.24）%]、左心房直径[（43.25 ± 8.98）mm]和二尖瓣反流得分[（1.12 ± 0.31）分]均小于对照组患者,左心室舒张末期直径[（52.46 ± 7.42）mm]和左心室收缩末期直径[（39.70 ± 8.09）mm]均大于对照组患者,差异均有统计学意义（t = 1.23、2.84、3.89、1.34、2.01,P = 0.04、0.02、0.01、0.03、0.02）。随访显示,研究组患者左心室射血分数[（61.38 ± 8.61）%]大于对照组患者（t = 5.31、P = 0.01）,左心室舒张末期直径[（48.69 ± 9.57）mm]和随访病死率（4.76%）均小于对照组,差异有统计学意义（t = 3.24、P = 0.02,χ² = 2.91,P = 0.03）。单因素方差分析显示入住ICU时间、插管时间和心功能衰竭史均为感染性心内膜炎患者手术死亡危险因素（t = 2.34、P = 0.01,t = 1.09、P = 0.03,χ² = 1.61、P = 0.02）。 结论二尖瓣修复术对感染性心内膜炎所致二尖瓣反流疗效和预后较好,能够缩短患者住院时间和降低入院费用。     

Posterior mitral annuloplasty using autologous pericardium in the repair of posterior leaflet prolapse

Objective: Mitral valve repair is frequently performed now because it produces a favorable postoperative quality of life, as well as improved cardiac function. For the treatment of posterior leaflet prolapse, we perform a posterior mitral annuloplasty using an autologous pericardium. The present study assessed the efficacy of this operation. Methods: From April 1999 to October 2003, 42 patients underwent a posterior mitral annuloplasty using autologous pericardium for the treatment of posterior leaflet prolapse. There were 15 men and 27 women with an average age of 63.9 ±11.8 years. The length of the autologous pericardium matched the length of the posterior leaflet annulus as measured with Carpentier-Edwards ring sizer that was chosen based on the area of the anterior leaflet. Results: The average size of the Carpentier-Edwards ring sizer that was used to determine the length of the autologous pericardium was 27.7±1.3 mm, and the absolute length of the pericardium was 50.9±1.8 mm, and the average intra-operative jet area, as assessed by transesophageal echocardiography, was 0.36±0.47 cm². The five-year freedom from reoperation was 97.1%, while the freedom from significant residual mitral regurgitation (≥3+/4+) was 92.0%. Two patients (4.8%) developed systolic anterior motion, and one patient (2.4%) had a cerebral infarction. None of the patients died after surgery, and no patients developed complications such as hemolysis or ring detachment. Conclusions: Posterior mitral annuloplasty using an autologous pericardium was shown to be a superior technique because it allows a sufficient annular repair with no complications such as hemolysis or ring detachment. Read at the Fifty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery, Symposium, Tokyo, November 19–21, 2003.     

二尖瓣成形术临床应用542例及随访

目的回顾性总结542例二尖瓣成形术病人的手术疗效和20年随访结果。方法1985年至2006年，542例二尖瓣病变的病人接受二尖瓣成形术，男306例，女236例。474例随访1-240个月，平均（41．03±40．40）个月，随访率90．8％。结果手术死亡20例（3．7％），出院时病人心功能均为Ⅰ级或Ⅱ级。随访死亡20例，再次手术23例；7年、10年和15年生存率分别为91％、88％和70％；7年和10年二次手术免除率分别为94％和86％。结论二尖瓣成形治疗二尖瓣病变，死亡率低，远期效果好。     

Edge-to-edge technique to repair mitral commissural prolapse

Objective Repair for mitral commissural prolapse can represent a challenging surgical problem. Although there are various reports of repair for mitral commissural prolapse, the technique is not necessarily simple. There are few reports of repair by the edge-to-edge suture for commissural prolapse, and the results are not entirely clarified. We report the application and early and intermediate outcome of this technique for mitral commissural prolapse. Methods From January 1999 to April 2005, a total of 12 patients with commissural prolapse due to degenerative disease were operated on using the edge-to-edge technique. The patients were seven men and five women with a mean age of 48.5 years. The mechanism of the regurgitation was chordal rupture in nine patients and chordal elongation in three patients. Results There were no in-hospital deaths or complications. Postoperative echocardiography demonstrated that regurgitation had disappeared in nine patients, was trivial in two patients, and was mild in one patient. During the follow-up period (mean 49.8 ± 22.0 months) all patients lived vigorously, and no recurrence or aggravation of regurgitation or valve-related complications were observed. Conclusions It seems that the edge-to-edge technique for mitral commissural prolapse due to degenerative disease is a technically simple, highly effective procedure.     

Augmenting mitral valve repair evaluation with intraoperative left ventricle pressure measurements

Surgical mitral valve repair remains the gold standard treatment of mitral regurgitation due to degenerative disease. Surgery is performed on the quiescent heart; therefore, assessments of valve repair success can only be made following separation from cardiopulmonary bypass. Intra-ventricular pressure measurements are often made in percutaneous valve procedures but has yet been described at the time of surgical repair. As an example, the saline test, whereby normal saline is injected across the mitral valve from the left atrium into the left ventricle, on the arrested heart remains an integral component of surgical repair. However, the haemodynamics of the saline test have never been evaluated. We present a simple and novel technique to quantify the saline test by passing a 22-G catheter across the mitral leaflets during saline testing under maximal ventricle distension. The saline test may be less informative among patients in whom the maximum generated left ventricle diastolic pressure is low. These data may be of help to a surgeon interpreting intraoperative saline tests with the hope of a competent mitral valve. As well, it may provide support for intraventricular pressure monitoring at the time of mitral valve surgery.     

Mitral valve repair in chronic severe mitral regurgitation: short-term results and analysis of mortality predictors

IntroductionMitral valve repair is the accepted treatment for mitral regurgitation (MR) but lack of resources and socioeconomic concerns delay surgical referral and intervention in developing countries. We evaluated immediate and short-term results of mitral valve repair for non-ischemic MR at our centre and aimed to identify the predictors of in-hospital and follow-up mortality.Materials and methodsThe study was conducted at a tertiary-level hospital in South India. All patients >18 years with severe non-ischemic MR who underwent mitral valve repair over a period of 6 years were included. Perioperative data was collected from hospital records and follow-up data was obtained by prospective methods.ResultsThere were 244 patients (170 males). Most of the patients were in the age group 31–60 years (76.6%). Aetiology of MR was degenerative (n = 159; 65.2%), rheumatic (n = 34; 13.9%), structural (n = 42; 17.2%), or miscellaneous (n = 9; 3.7%). All patients underwent ring annuloplasty with various valve repair techniques. One hundred patients (44.7%) underwent additional cardiac procedures. At discharge, MR was moderate in 4 patients; the rest had no or mild MR. The mean hospital stay of survivors was 7.1 days (SD 2.52, range 5–25 days). There were 9 in-hospital deaths (3.68%) and 10 deaths during follow-up (4.2%). The mean follow-up period was 1.39 years, complete for 87.6%. Pre-operative left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) <60% (p = 0.04) was found to be significantly associated with immediate mortality. Logistic regression analysis detected age (p = 0.019), female sex (p = 0.015), and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction at discharge (p = 0.025) to be significantly associated with follow-up mortality.ConclusionPre-operative LV dysfunction was identified as a significant risk factor for in-hospital mortality. Female sex, age greater than 45 years, and LV dysfunction at discharge were found to be significantly associated with follow-up mortality. Hence, it is important to perform mitral valve repair in severe regurgitation patients before significant LV dysfunction sets in for a better outcome.     

二尖瓣脱垂并关闭不全的外科修补

目的：总结二尖瓣脱垂的外科修复经验,方法：对44例二尖脱垂患者的临床资料进行回顾分析。44例患者中风湿性2例,非风湿性42例（22例合并先天性心脏病）,关不全中度24例,重度20例,腱索断裂或缺如12例,腱索过长32例,其中多根腱索过长6例,治疗行腱索移植10例,健索缩短25例（多根腱索短6例）,人工腱索1例,瓣叶折叠3例,瓣叶切除5例,同时行瓣裂缝合8例,瓣环成形28例（后环缝缩14例）,结果：结果：全组无手术死亡病例,1例风湿性患者术后1个月发生左心房血栓再次手术行瓣膜替换,二尖瓣功能正常34例（77．8％）,基本正常6（13．6％）,残留轻至中度关闭不全3例（6．8％）,随访1－18例（平均6．5年）,效果良好,结论：外科修复治疗二尖瓣脱垂是一种安全有效的手术方法。