[Intraoperative evaluation of mitral valve reconstruction using two-dimensional contrast echocardiography]

20 patients who underwent reconstructive surgery for mitral regurgitation were peroperatively investigated by contrasted bidimensional echocardiography using intraventricular injection of 20 ml of physiologic saline. Before the valvuloplasty, the peroperative quantitation of mitral leakage was in all cases closely correlated with the data obtained preoperatively. After the mitral reparation, three groups of patients could be observed: group I (12 cases): absent or minimal regurgitation (0-+); group II (5 cases): moderate mitral regurgitation (++); group III (3 cases): marked regurgitation ( - +) necessitating an immediate ECC. In two cases it was possible to improve successfully the valvular function, in the third case valvular replacement was necessary. The correlation between the data of peroperative contrasted echography at one hand and the clinical examination and the postoperative paraclinical investigations on the other hand was excellent in all cases. Thus the contrasted bidimensional peroperative echocardiography represents a reliable method for predicting the immediate results of mitral reconstructive surgery.