Papillary muscle repair surgery in ischemic mitral valve patients.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR), when ischemia/infarction has resulted in fibrotic degeneration and elongation of papillary muscles, carries a high risk for the patient and a technical challenge for the surgeon. We have developed a papillary-shortening plasty for this specific pathology. METHODS: Papillary muscle repair was performed in 88 patients (7.2%) where degenerated and fibrotic elongated papillary muscles were found, which resulted in a prolapse of one or more parts of the mitral valve leaflets (MR III-IV). All patients had a papillary muscle-shortening plasty using a pericardium pledged-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene suture and a ring annuloplasty. Because the cause of regurgitation in this specific group of patients was ischemic, concomitant coronary bypass grafting was required in all patients, with 2.2 grafts/patient. RESULTS: There were five hospital deaths (5.7%). Postoperative mitral valve function was satisfactory in all patients: no residual mitral regurgitation (MR 0) was found in 80 patients (90.9%), mild regurgitation (MR I) in 5 patients (5.7%), and moderate regurgitation (MR I-II) was observed in 3 patients (3.4%). Within a short mean follow-up period of 18.6 months (3 to 40 months), there was one late death (1.2%). The actuarial freedom from reoperation and thromboembolic complications was 100%, but there were two anticoagulation-induced gastric bleeding complications (2.3%). All patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II at the time of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that careful assessment of papillary muscle pathology is mandatory, and that a papillary muscle-shortening plasty is a simple but valuable surgical tool to repair the mitral valve in this specific group of high-risk patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Early failure of bioprosthesis by preserved mitral leaflets.

Complete preservation of the posterior mitral valve leaflet caused early thrombotic occlusion of two cusps of a Carpentier-Edward pericardial prosthesis implanted into the mitral position with subsequent bioprosthetic failure, necessitating reoperation.

Mitral repair in patients with a ruptured papillary muscle.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a modified papillary muscle repair procedure for a group of patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation when ischemia/infarction has resulted in the rupture of a papillary muscle. From January 1997 to January 1999, 843 patients underwent mitral valve surgery in our hospital. Mitral reconstruction was performed in 520 (61.7%) patients, and 6 (1.2%) of these patients were found to have a rupture of a papillary muscle at initial examination. METHODS AND RESULTS: A modified papillary muscle repair procedure to reimplant the tip of the ruptured papillary muscle "height- and/or length-adjusted" into a corresponding papillary muscle, with the use of a sandwiched pericardium pledget-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene suture, was performed in 6 patients. Although the underlying cause in this group of patients was ischemic, concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting was performed in only 3 patients, with 1.3 grafts per patient. Of these 6 patients, 3 (50%) were men; the mean age was 60.2 +/- 12.8 years. All patients had in addition to the papillary muscle repair procedure an annuloplasty with a Carpentier-Edwards Physio-Ring. There was no early death in this group of patients. Postoperative Doppler echocardiography showed satisfactory mitral valve function in all patients and a significant postoperative ventricular remodeling: The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased from 72.8 +/- 3.1 mm before surgery to 54.6 +/- 9.3 mm (P <.1) after surgery; left ventricular systolic diameter also decreased (48.5 +/- 4.9 mm vs 38. 4 +/- 9.8 mm; P <.1), and a substantial reduction of left atrial diameter (58.8 +/- 1.5 mm vs 49.7 +/- 4.1 mm; P <.1) was observed. Within the short mean follow-up period of 8.6 +/- 7.5 months (2 to 26 months), there were no late deaths, reoperations, or thromboembolic or bleeding complications. All patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II at the time of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that our modified papillary muscle reimplantation procedure is a valuable surgical tool with good survival results in patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation caused by papillary muscle rupture.

[Isolated prolapse of the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve. Results of reconstructive surgery]. / Prolapsus isolé du feuillet postérieur de la valve mitrale. Résultats de la chirurgie reconstructrice.

Out of 522 patients undergoing mitral valve reconstruction for mitral regurgitation between 1988 and June 1994, the authors studied 159 cases of isolated mitral regurgitation by prolapse of the posterior mitral leaflet. There were 98 men (62%) and 61 women (38%), with an average age of 58.4 +/- 10.4 years. The functional class and ejection fraction were 2.8 +/- 0.11 and 0.66 +/- 0.2 respectively. In 155 patients, surgery consisted in quadrangular resection of the prolapsed tissue, followed in 83 cases by sliding posterior valvuloplasty and in 72 cases by plicature of the annulus. In 4 cases, the prolapse was treated by implantation of artificial chordae tendinae. A Carpentier-Edwards ring was inserted in all cases. There were no hospital deaths. Echocardiography was performed before discharge from hospital and showed satisfactory mitral valve function in 98% of cases: slight systolic anterior motion (SAM) was observed in one case. All patients were followed up for an average of 3.67 +/- 0.10 years. At six years, survival was 93 +/- 7%; moreover, 93 +/- 7% and 97 +/- 3% of patients had no thromboembolic or haemorrhagic complications. Six patients were reoperated, three of them in the first year of follow-up. At six years, 95 +/- 5% of patients were free of reoperation and 81 +/- 11% were free of all complications. The authors conclude that the excellent medium term survival and the low rate of complications are evidence in favour of conservative surgery for treatment of mitral regurgitation due to prolapse of the posterior mitral leaflet.

Valve repair for mitral regurgitation caused by isolated prolapse of the posterior leaflet.

BACKGROUND: Although prolapse of the posterior leaflet is the most common abnormality of the mitral valve causing dysfunction, the long-term results of mitral valve repair for this condition are seldom reported. METHODS: From October 1988 to June 1994, 208 patients (mean age, 59.4 years) with mitral regurgitation caused by isolated prolapse of the posterior leaflet underwent mitral valve repair alone or combined with myocardial revascularization (n = 30). The surgical techniques were quadrangular resection (n = 199) followed by annulus plication (n = 101) or sliding leaflet plasty (n = 98), use of artificial chordae (n = 5), or papillary muscle shortening (n = 4). All patients had an annuloplasty with a Carpentier ring. Mean follow-up was 3.4 +/- 0.1 years and total follow-up, 656 patient-years. RESULTS: There were six operative deaths (2.9%). Postoperative Doppler echocardiography found two cases of systolic anterior motion (1%), and echocardiographic studies at follow-up showed satisfactory mitral valve function in 97% of 112 patients. At 6 years, the actuarial survival rate was 87% +/- 7%, and freedom from thromboembolic complications, bleeding complications, and reoperation was 93% +/- 7%, 95% +/- 3%, and 95% +/- 4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Mitral valve repair for regurgitation caused by prolapse of the posterior leaflet provides excellent survival at 6 years and should be considered the method of choice for its surgical treatment.