[Surgical echocardiography of the mitral valve]

In the western world, the prevalence of mitral regurgitation-particularly that due to degenerative disease-has gradually increased despite a substantial decrease in rheumatic disease. If present, secondary ventricular dysfunction, potentially irreversible when clinically diagnosed, requires close echocardiographic follow-up in order to establish a subclinical diagnosis. Thus, echocardiography has become an essential tool in managing patients with mitral valve regurgitation. As well as assessing parameters of ventricular geometry, in the hands of an expert echocardiography offers systematic documentation of lesion in each segment, which together with the dysfunction type should give an accurate idea of the complexity involved in the valve repair. This is increasingly relevant given the growing number of asymptomatic patients referred for mitral valve surgery. Consequently, the echocardiographic study performed prior to referral is crucial to successful mitral valve repair and cardiologists, cardiac imaging experts, and surgeons should be guided by results when referring patients to specialists with the skills necessary to undertake adequate repair of the lesions found.