Current Indications for Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement Using Transcatheter Aortic Valves: Valve-in-Valve, Valve-in-Ring, and Valve-in-Mitral Annulus Calcification.

Use of transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) using transcatheter aortic valves in clinical practice is limited to patients with failing bioprostheses and rings or mitral valve disease associated with severe mitral annulus calcification. Whereas the use of valve-in-valve TMVR appears to be a reasonable alternative to surgery in patients at high surgical risk, much less evidence supports valve-in-ring and valve-in-mitral annulus calcification interventions. Data on the results of TMVR in these settings are derived from small case series or voluntary registries. This review summarizes the current evidence on TMVR using transcatheter aortic valves in clinical practice from the characteristics of the TMVR candidates, screening process, performance of the procedure, and description of current results and future perspectives. TMVR using dedicated devices in native noncalcified mitral valve diseases is beyond the scope of the article.

Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Annuloplasty With Realignment of Both Papillary Muscles for Correction of Type IIIb Functional Mitral Regurgitation.

OBJECTIVE: Pathophysiological background of type IIIb functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is a progressively increasing distance between papillary muscle tips and mitral annular plane. Standard surgical treatment of such FMR by means of undersized mitral annuloplasty is associated with a high recurrence rate. METHODS: We propose a modified subannular maneuver to correct type IIIb FMR while combining undersized annuloplasty with a controlled realignment of both papillary muscles, thereby fixing the distance between mitral annular plane and papillary muscle tips. The differences of this subannular maneuver as compared with the previously published techniques are the following: (1) controlled realignment of both papillary muscles, (2) fixation of the papillary muscles to mitral annulus distance on an annuloplasty ring, and (3) application in a three-dimensional endoscopic minithoracotomy setting. RESULTS: We describe a surgical technique of minimally invasive mitral valve repair performed due to severe type IIIb FMR, which includes a modified subannular maneuver to realign both papillary muscles. Preliminary results of the first 10 patients who underwent this procedure at our institution are presented. There was no in-hospital mortality and follow-up echocardiography (mean ± SD echocardiographic follow-up = 10 ± 6 months) demonstrated stable functional results. CONCLUSIONS: Our initial experience indicates that adding of this subannular maneuver to the standard annuloplasty and thereby fixing the distance between papillary muscles and mitral annular plane have a potential to improve results of surgical FMR treatment.

Ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is still a significant clinical problem. It is present in 10-20% of patients with coronary artery disease and is associated with a worse prognosis after myocardial infarction and subsequent revascularization. Currently, coronary artery bypass grafting combined with restrictive annuloplasty is the most commonly performed surgical procedure, although novel approaches have been used in limited numbers with varying degrees of success. The purpose of this review is to clarify the rationale for the surgical techniques applicable to IMR. In order to do so, the condition will be defined and the evolution of classic or traditional surgical approaches to repairing or replacing the mitral valve in the setting of IMR will be described. Finally, novel approaches to the repair of the ischemic mitral valve will be considered.

[A comparative assessment of immediate results of correction of mitral insufficiency from the left-auricular and transventruicular accesses in patients with postinfarction aneurysm].

Reconstruction of postinfarction aneurysm of the left ventricle (LV) and plasty of the mitral valve without implantation in combination with coronary shunting or without it were used in 81 patients with ischemic heart disease. Correction of mitral insufficiency was fulfilled in 40 patients by an access via the left atrium, in 41 patients--from the LV in its reconstruction. Lethality in the nearest postoperative period was 3.7%. Mitral insufficiency after operation was absent in 70% of patients with the left atrium access and in 58.5% with the transventricular access, in the rest of the patients the mitral insufficiency was not more than of the II degree. Significant differences between the immediate results depending on the access to the mitral valve were not found.

New echocardiography-based classification of mitral valve pathology: relevance to surgical valve repair.

A new echocardiography-based classification of mitral valve pathology is proposed, the adoption of which may provide a uniform approach to the assessment of individual cases by the cardiologist, cardiac anesthesiologist, and surgeon. This type of approach may facilitate the planning and execution of valve repair techniques, with higher rates of success than are currently reported.

Contemporary outcomes for surgical mitral valve repair: a benchmark for evaluating emerging mitral valve technology.

OBJECTIVE: The emergence of transcatheter approaches to mitral valve (MV) repair has focused attention on outcomes after surgical MV repair. Results from the EVEREST II trial demonstrated worse short-term major adverse event (MAE) rates for surgical repair. This study analyzes contemporary outcomes of surgical MV repair to establish a benchmark for future therapeutic comparisons. METHODS: From 2003 to 2008, 903 isolated MV repair operations were performed at 13 different statewide cardiac centers. Patients were excluded if they had prior valve operations or mitral stenosis similar to EVEREST II. MAE rate was defined using similar criteria to EVEREST II, including postoperative atrial fibrillation and transfusion of 2 units of blood or more. Univariate analyses and multivariate regression models were applied to identify independent predictors of MAEs after surgical MV repair. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 57.0 ± 13.2 years, and the majority of patients were men (59.0%, 533/903). The prevalence of preoperative risk factors was as follows: stroke 3.9% (35/903), immunosuppression 2.4% (22/903), heart failure 32.1% (290/903), renal failure 3.5% (32/903), and previous coronary artery bypass grafting 3.4% (31/903). Mean ejection fraction was 55.6 ± 11.3%. MAE rate was 29.0% (262/903), including atrial fibrillation 17.6% (159/903), renal failure 1.3% (12/903), stroke 0.9% (8/903), and operative mortality 1.1% (10/903). Multivariate correlates of MAE included the following: advanced age, prior stroke, immunosuppression, and operation time. Importantly, gender, previous coronary bypass grafting, renal failure, and ejection fraction were not independent predictors of MAE. CONCLUSIONS: In the current era, patients undergoing surgical MV repair have low mortality. MAE rate was largely due to postoperative atrial fibrillation. These results may help to stratify which patients may be best served with newer technologies.

Robotic mitral valve repair for all prolapse subsets using techniques identical to open valvuloplasty: establishing the benchmark against which percutaneous interventions should be judged.

OBJECTIVE: Recent reports have shown that robotic mitral valve repair is effective in treating posterior leaflet disease; however, comparison with trans-sternal (open) valvuloplasty for all prolapse categories has not been performed. Moreover, data from the recently published EVEREST II trial infer that adverse event rates after mitral valve repair for degenerative disease are high. We therefore compared early outcomes of robotic versus open mitral valve repair for patients with mitral valve prolapse. METHODS: Among 745 consecutive patients undergoing open or robotic mitral repair for degenerative disease, 95 propensity-matched pairs were identified. Leaflet prolapse categories were similar between groups. Complete mitral valve repair was performed using identical techniques. RESULTS: Median crossclamp and bypass times were longer in the robotic group but decreased significantly over time (P < .001). There were no conversions to open sternotomy, repair rate and early survival were 100%, dismissal mitral regurgitation grade was similar (P = 1.00), and all patients in the robotic group had mild or less mitral regurgitation at 1 month after repair. There were no differences in adverse events (5% open vs 4% robotic, P = 1.00). Patients in the robotic group had shorter postoperative ventilation time, intensive care unit stay, and hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic mitral valve repair allows complete anatomic correction of all categories of leaflet prolapse using techniques identical to open approaches. Robotic repair effectively corrects mitral regurgitation, offers excellent freedom from adverse events, and facilitates rapid weaning from ventilation, translating into earlier hospital dismissal. Safety and efficacy after both open and robotic mitral valve repair are higher than recently reported in the EVEREST II trial and establish a benchmark against which nonsurgical therapies should be evaluated.

Contemporary application of cardiovascular hemodynamics: transcatheter mitral valve interventions.

Since the development and refinement of echocardiography, this technique has, for some time, been the mainstay for hemodynamic assessment of the mitral valve. This article discusses the key components of the invasive hemodynamic assessment of mitral valve disease and illustrates their utility through percutaneous transluminal mitral valvuloplasty for mitral stenosis and the novel transcatheter mitral valve repair using the MitraClip for mitral regurgitation. Changes in left atrial pressure and waveform, mean gradient, and cardiac output are critical assessment parameters for both safety and efficacy. Invasive hemodynamic assessment is an essential complement to echocardiography for the optimal guidance of these procedures.