[Repair of pure mitral insufficiency--experience in 50 patients]

Between February 1982 and March 1987, 50 adults underwent mitral valve repair for pure mitral insufficiency representing 54% of all adults having mitral valve surgery for pure mitral insufficiency. Ages ranged from 20 to 73 years (50.0 +/- 11.6). Anterior leaflet prolapse was present in 11, posterior leaflet prolapse in 26 and annulus dilation in 13. The mitral valve was repaired by quadrangular resection in 21, triangular resection in 2, plication without resection in 4, chordal shortening in 8 and annuloplasty alone in 15. Commissural annuloplasty was performed in addition to leaflet repair or chordal shortening in other 14 patients. The competence of the mitral valve was usually evaluated under beating conditions. 79% of the attempted repairs was considered successful in the posterior leaflet, contrasting to only 37% in the anterior leaflet. Prolapse of the anterior leaflet remains a surgical challenge. There were two early deaths (4%). During the follow up period (Mean 1.9 years, range 0.2-5.2 years), 2 late deaths (4%) were observed, one of them from thromboembolism, before adopting the policy of routinely anti-coagulating these patients during the first few months. 4 patients (9%), early in our experience, required reoperation within 4 months of surgery: two for severe mitral insufficiency and two for severe mechanical hemolysis. At reoperation, residual insufficiency was present in one, valve suture tear due to technical imperfection in two and complete disruption of the valve tissue at the suture line in one. Four additional patients had transient mechanical hemolysis requiring no specific therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)