ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Before the development of an ideal artificial valve, repairing of native valves was considered the best choice and clinicians have been reported that valvuloplasty was much better than valve replacement, when possible with the respect to clinical outcomes. This study was conducted under the hypothesis that in some cases, the surgical and clinical outcomes could be better in patients with valve replacement and it may be influenced by left ventricular function. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This study included 40 patients who received pure mitral valve regurgitation. We divided the patients into three groups(Group I: classical valve replacement in 12 patients, Group II: preserving posterior leaflet in 18 patients, Group III: valvuloplasty in 10 patients) and compared the patient`s clinical findings, echocardiographical indexes obtained at admission and 4 weeks after operation. RESULT: After operation, Group II and III showed the better clinical condition changes than Group I but there was no statistical significance. According to NYHA classification, favorable results were achieved but there are no statistical significances in these three patient groups. The left ventricular function was worsened in Group I and in the Groups II and III, the left ventricular function showed no changes postoperatively. In Groups II and III, there were improvements in the postoperative clinical findings but the left ventricular ejection fraction revealed no statistical differences in these two groups. CONCLUSION: Due to different left ventricular functions, repair is considered a better method for the mitral regurgitation. If there the deformity is impossible to repair, preserving a portion of the leaflet is the preferred surgical method.