• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.221-225
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• 1998

From February 1996 to May 1997, 18 patients underwent mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation. There were 9 male and 9 female patients aged from 19 to 68 years(mean, 53). Thirteen patients were in New York Heart Association(NYHA) class III and IV. The cause of mitral regurgitation was degenerative in 12 patients, rheumatic in 5 patients and infective in 1 patient. Fifteen patients were in Carpentier's functional classification II, 2 patients in Carpentier's class III and 1 patient in Carpentier's class I. Surgical procedures included prosthetic ring annuloplasty(16 cases), rectangular resection of posterior leaflet(15 cases), chordal shortening(5 cases), triangular resection of anterior leaflet(2 cases), commissurotomy(2 cases), partial transposition of posterior leaflet(1 case). These procedures were combined in most patients. There was no operative death. These patients have been followed from 1 to 15 months, mean of 6.7 months. There was one late death resulted from low cardiac output following mitral valve replacement. The function of the repaired valve in other 17 patients has remained satisfactory during the observed interval. We consider that mitral valve repair is highly satisfactory in patients with mitral regurgitation.