Long-term follow-up results after reconstruction of the mitral valve by leaflet advancement

In this study, we discuss the clinical results of mitral leaflet advancement performed on 29 patients over the past 10 years and attempt to determine the indication. Preoperative diagnosis of mitral valve lesion consisted of mitral regurgitation in 21 patients and mitral stenosis in 8 patients. Mitral valve repair was applied to the anterior mitral leaflet in 2, the posterior mitral leaflet in 25, and bilateral leaflets in 2 patients. Reoperation was performed on 13 patients, and 1 patient died of renal failure immediately after reoperation. No reoperation was needed for 96.6% of the patients at 1 year, 89.5% at 5 years, 75.0% at 8 years, 63.8% at 10 years, and 52.6% at 15 years postoperatively. At reoperation, the repaired mitral leaflet was found to be calcified in 3 patients more than 9 years after the initial operation. Of the 12 survivors without reoperation, mitral stenosis associated with regurgitation was obvious in 6 patients. Of the 21 patients with preoperative mitral regurgitation, 90.0% showed no deterioration at 5 years, 79.7% at 8 years, and 69.1% at 10 years. On the other hand, for the 8 patients with mitral stenosis, the rates were 87.5% at 1 year, 62.5% at 5 years, 50.0% at 8 years, and 25% at 10 years. Our results suggest that mitral leaflet advancement shows satisfactory results in patients with mitral regurgitation but is not successful for patients with mitral stenosis in the long term because the repaired valve tends to be stenotic in the late postoperative period.