Mitral valve

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) represents a significant challenge in mitral valve (MV) surgery. Techniques to decalcify the mitral annulus significantly increase operative complexity and risk. MV repair can be particularly difficult in this setting. Mid-term outcomes following MV surgery with extensive annular decalcification were examined, with attention focused on the feasibility and outcomes of MV repair in this setting. Among 1,485 patients undergoing MV surgery between 1999 and 2008 at the authors' institutions, 24 (1.6%) underwent complete posterior MV annular decalcification associated with either MV repair (n = 19) or replacement (n = 5). Extensive decalcification was performed from commissure to commissure in all patients. The annulus was reconstructed with pledgeted compression sutures in 17 patients, and with a bovine pericardial patch in seven. In-hospital mortality was 12.5%. One patient died in the operating room from atrioventricular groove rupture, and two pa...

Although the severity of valvular calcification is an important prognostic indicator, the cellular mechanisms of the calcification process are unknown. Osteopontin modulates inflammation and biomineralization, and increased osteopontin expression has been demonstrated in calcified degenerative or rheumatic cardiac valves. The present study evaluated soluble plasma osteopontin in 32 patients with echocardiographically determined rheumatic mitral stenosis and compared the results to those of a control group of 22 healthy patients. Patients were evaluated with routine echocardiographic techniques, Wilkins scoring, and 2-dimensional echocardiographic calcium scoring. Patients with rheumatic involvement other than in the mitral valve were excluded. Plasma osteopontin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in patients with mitral stenosis were significantly higher those of the control group (p = 0.006 and p = 0.0001, respectively). A significant correlation was found between plasma osteopontin levels and the severity of mitral valve calcification (p = 0.003) and also between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and Wilkins score (p = 0.009). There was a stepwise and statistically significant increase in soluble plasma osteopontin levels in association with the severity of mitral valve calcification. In conclusion, increased osteopontin levels were correlated with the severity of mitral valve calcification in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis, suggesting an important role of osteopontin in the modulation of valvular calcification. Elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations suggest the presence of ongoing inflammation in those patients.

This study was undertaken to compare pressure half-time and continuity equation methods in the postoperative evaluation of anuloplasty rings. We performed 2-dimensional echocardiography and Doppler studies in 39 patients who had undergone valve repair for mitral regurgitation. In patients with a pressure half-time of 110 msec or more (9/39), there was no significant difference in calculated valve area between the 2 methods (p = 0.696). A significant difference was shown between the 2 methods (p < 0.001) in patients with a half-time less than 110 msec (30/39). When patients were classified according to the type of ring they had received, no significant difference was noted between the 2 groups with regard to peak and mean mitral gradients. In patients placed in subgroups according to half-times of less than 110 msec and half-times of 110 msec or more, no difference was noted between groups in terms of mean mitral gradient, presence of mitral regurgitation, left atrial size, left v...

There are frequent citations in the literature stating that lesions of the tendinous cords cause functional disorders of the heart valves. This led us to conduct the present investigation on the anatomy of the tendinous cords. Our objective was to focus on the morphological characteristics of tendinous cords that are inserted directly into the interventricular septum, such as their frequency, number, dimensions and This study was conducted on 50 hearts from adults of both sexes that had been fixed in 10% formaldehyde. The right ventricle was opened by means of an incision parallel to the anterior interventricular groove, and the left ventricle was opened by means of a longitudinal incision in the middle of the pulmonary (left) surface. Our results showed that, in the right ventricle, these tendinous cords constantly appeared without the involvement of papillary muscles (98%). They ranged in number from one to ten, and between two and five was the most common (72%). They were short, ...

Mitral stenosis is a uncommon valvular lesion in the developed countries. Noninvasive evaluation is the first-line modality for assessment of mitral stenosis, however the noninvasive methods may have limitations in certain cases. Invasive hemodynamics can be used as adjunct tool for assessment of mitral stenosis in such difficult cases. Mitral valve using three-dimensional planimetry is a promising technique for assessment of mitral stenosis.

Advancements in surgical technique and understanding of the pathophysiology of mitral valve (MV) dysfunction have led to improved outcomes. Seen as a development beyond measures of morbidity and mortality, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) outcome measures are becoming increasingly popular. These measures are important because complications following routine (i.e. low-risk) operations on the MV are uncommon and further markers of outcome are needed. Surgeons are increasingly operating earlier on asymptomatic patients and will need to prove that HRQOL is not impacted. Novel minimally invasive and transcatheter technologies will also need to demonstrate satisfactory HRQOL outcomes prior to widespread use. This systematic review provides an overview of all available literature detailing HRQOL in patients receiving MV interventions. In the 43 studies included, 6865 patients underwent procedures ranging from open replacement to percutaneous repair using devices such as the Mitraclip...

A recent histological study of resected scallop-P2 in mitral valve (MV) prolapse, showed that chordae tendinae may be missing or hidden in superimposed fibrous tissue of the leaflets, contributing to their thickening. This may have relevant clinical implication because detailed analysis of MV leaflets has a central role in the evaluation of patients undergoing repair. The aim of this study was to analyze MV leaflets focusing on thickness of prolapsing segments and the presence of chordal rupture (CR). We enrolled 246 patients (age 63 ± 13 years, 72 men) with isolated P2 prolapse and also 50 age-matched patients with normal MV anatomy as control group. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) were retrospectively analyzed to quantify the length and the proximal and distal thickness of both anterior (A2) and posterior (P2) MV scallops. Measurements were performed at end diastole in the standard TTE and TEE views. TTE and TEE measurements were fea...

Background: Nonrheumatic valvular diseases are common; however, no studies have estimated their global or national burden. As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, mortality, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), degenerative mitral valve disease, and other nonrheumatic valvular diseases were estimated for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Methods: Vital registration data, epidemiologic survey data, and administrative hospital data were used to estimate disease burden using the Global Burden of Disease Study modeling framework, which ensures comparability across locations. Geospatial statistical methods were used to estimate disease for all countries, because data on nonrheumatic valvular diseases are extremely limited for some regions of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Results accounted for estimated level of disease severity as well as the estimated availability of valve repa...

The utility of implanting a bioscaffold mitral valve consisting of porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) in a juvenile baboon model (12 to 14 months old at the time of implant; n = 3) to assess their in vivo tissue remodeling responses was investigated. Our findings demonstrated that the PSIS mitral valve exhibited the robust presence of de novo extracellular matrix (ECM) at all explantation time points (at 3-, 11-, and 20-months). Apart from a significantly lower level of proteoglycans in the implanted valve’s annulus region (p < 0.05) at 3 months compared to the 11- and 20-month explants, there were no other significant differences (p > 0.05) found between any of the other principal valve ECM components (collagen and elastin) at the leaflet, annulus, or chordae tendinea locations, across these time points. In particular, neochordae tissue had formed, which seamlessly integrated with the native papillary muscles. However, additional processing will be required to trigger ...