[Influence of surgical intervention on the course of patients with rheumatic mitral valvular defects]

A retrospective study of 798 patients from Essen University Medical Hospital during the period 1960-1987 with operation performed due to valvular heart disease was undertaken. Among them were 324 suffering from mitral stenosis, 12 from mitral regurgitation, 462 from mixed mitral valvular diseases. The surgical treatment consisted of commissurotomy in 611 patients, and prosthetic valve replacement in 187 patients. Follow-up studies showed: Before and after operation, occurrence of embolism was 16.5 vs 8.7%; status of class of cardiac function (NYHA) from group with commissurotomy was 3.1 vs 2.0; NYHA classification in group of prosthetic replacement was 3.1 vs 1.9; 10 years survival rate after commissurotomy was 95.2%; after valve replacement it was 80.2%; early letality rate after operation (at or within 2 months after operation) depended on 1) the type of operation: commissurotomy 2.8%, valve replacement 10.2%; 2) the state of cardiac function: in class IV it was 12.9%, in class III 4.6%; 3) the number of operations: in only operation it was 4.8%, in reoperations 19.5%. Thus the following fact will lead to false judgement: though the area is the same, the regurgitant volume may vary with the brightness of coloration. Furthermore the left auricle will be enlarged consequently following the increase of regurgitant volume, also causing misinterpretation. It is of practical importance to consider some other factors in quantifying the regurgitant volume.