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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Surgery and Sample Processing for Correlative Imaging of the Murine Pulmonary Valve
Published on: August 5, 2021
Morphological findings in 192 surgically excised native mitral valves.
Shaun W Leong1, Gursharan S Soor, Jagdish Butany
1Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Mitral valve disease (MVD) is increasingly common. Postinflammatory (rheumatic) valve disease and myxomatous degeneration are the most frequent causes, with differing patient demographics.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Mitral valve disease (MVD) presents a growing clinical challenge in the 21st century.
- The underlying pathogenesis of MVD requires further elucidation.
- Understanding evolving MVD causes is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the morphological characteristics of native mitral valves requiring surgical excision.
- To identify the primary etiological factors contributing to MVD in the studied population.
- To analyze the demographic differences between patients with distinct MVD causes.
Main Methods:
- Morphological examination of 192 native mitral valves from surgically excised specimens.
- Data collected over a one-year period at Toronto General Hospital.
- Patient age averaged 59.7 years.
Main Results:
- Fibrosis (78.6%) and thickening (66.2%) were the most prevalent leaflet pathologies.
- Commissural fusion (32.3%) and calcification (25.2%) were frequently observed.
- Mitral incompetence affected 57.3% of valves, while stenosis was present in 37.5%.
Conclusions:
- Postinflammatory (rheumatic) valve disease (RVD) was the leading cause (35.9%), followed by myxomatous degeneration (33.3%).
- RVD predominantly affected females (66.7%), whereas myxomatous degeneration was more common in males (76.6%).
- RVD persists as a significant issue, potentially linked to the current patient referral demographics.
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