Current trends in mitral valve repair techniques in North America

The current trends in the surgical technique of mitral valve repair (MVR) among North American medical centers participating in the Sorin Valve Repair Registry are described.

A total of 2,314 MVR procedures was performed and documented between 2003 and 2009 at 89 North American medical centers. Surgical procedure characteristics on all mitral valve annuloplasty and valve reconstructions were collected by participating surgeons, and documented in the registry.

Early in the reporting period (between 2003 and 2007), posterior leaflet resection comprised 60% of all MVR procedures, but the percentage declined systematically through the years 2008 (56.1%) and 2009 (50.4%). A decrease over time was also observed in the frequency of sliding valvuloplasty procedures (from -30% in 2003 to 4.0% in 2009). Proportions of chordal repair techniques tended to increase towards the end of the reporting period, from a low of 15% in 2003 to a peak of 32% in 2008.

This report documents important trends in current MVR techniques among a representative cohort of surgical centers across North America. The data obtained were consistent with a practical shift from the conventional surgical MVR techniques to methods that allow a greater leaflet preservation--and thus less resection--over the latter half of the reporting period.