[Mitral valve surgery: 10 years follow-up of 501 patients (author's transl)]

The results of mitral surgery between 1961 and 1971 are presented. Pure or predominant mitral stenosis outnumbered combined mitral valve disease and mitral incompetence by two to one. Surgical treatment comprised 291 closed mitral commissurotomies, 145 open reconstructions and 81 replacements of the mitral valve. One month mortality was 2,4% for commissurotomy, 4,8% for reconstruction, and 25% for replacement. Early mortality of the latter operation decreased to 7% since 1971. For patients with no more than slight preoperative symptoms life expectany remained unaffected for 10 years after closed commissurotomy. For patients with significant preoperative limitation or symptoms at rest 5 and 10 years life expectancy after successful surgery was 93 and 79% resp. for commissurotomy, 94 and 73% for reconstruction and 79 and 53% resp. for mitral valve replacement. In spite of a higher rate of reoperations and late deterioration of valve function the reparative operations deserve preference to the replacement of the mitral valve whenever feasible.