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Updated: Dec 5, 2025

A Simplified Stepwise Approach to Echo Guidance during Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair
Published on: October 16, 2021
'CLAS' score: an objective tool to standardize and predict mitral valve repairability
Amber Malhotra1, Sumbul Siddiqui1, Vivek Wadhawa1
1Department of Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, U. N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Center (affiliated to BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad), Civil Hospital Campus, Asarwa, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380016 India.
Insights
The CLAS score effectively predicts mitral valve repair success. A score of 8 or less indicates a high likelihood of successful repair, guiding surgical decisions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Cardiac Surgery
- Valvular Heart Disease
Background:
- Carpentier's classification lacks universal applicability for mitral valve disease complexity and repair prognosis.
- A need exists for a standardized nomenclature to assess mitral valve lesions and guide repair strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate the CLAS (Commissures, Leaflet, Annulus, Subvalvular apparatus) scoring system.
- To identify predictors of mitral valve repairability using the CLAS score.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 394 patients undergoing mitral valve procedures.
- Division of the valvular apparatus into four subunits (C, L, A, S) for scoring.
- Formulation of three CLAS groups based on calculated scores.
Main Results:
- Successful mitral valve repair (MVRep) in 95.43% of 376 patients.
- 100% repair success for CLAS score ≤ 8, compared to 93.33% (9-12) and 69.69% (>12).
- Correlation found between CLAS groups and cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic-cross-clamp time, and ICU stay.
Conclusions:
- The CLAS score is a strong predictor of successful mitral valve repair.
- Recommend attempting repair for all patients with a CLAS score ≤ 8.
- Refer patients with CLAS scores > 8 to specialized repair centers.
Purpose:
Carpentier's classification has been used to classify both stenotic and regurgitant lesions. However, given the extreme variability of lesions, a universal nomenclature suggestive of the complexity and the prognosis of the repair procedure for the entire spectrum of the mitral valve disease still remains elusive. We present the predictors of mitral valve repairability with the help of a four-level-based 'CLAS' scoring system.
Methods:
A total of 394 patients undergoing mitral valve procedure were prospectively studied. The valvular apparatus was divided into four sub-units, namely Commissures (C), Leaflet (L), Annulus (A), and Subvalvular apparatus (S), and the components were scored individually and the summation scores were calculated. Based on our results, three CLAS groups were formulated.
Results:
A total of 376 (n = 394) patients underwent successful MVRep (95.43%; on-table failure in 18 patients). A total of 276 were rheumatic, 51 degenerative, 28 congenital, and 16 had infective endocarditis. Thirty-day mortality was 14 (3.72%) while delayed re-intervention rate was 8 (2.12%). The mean follow-up period was 30 months. One hundred percent patients with a CLAS score ≤ 8 had a successful repair as compared to 93.33 and 69.69%, respectively, for patients with scores between 9 and 12 and > 12, respectively. The cardio pulmonary bypass time, aortic-cross-clamp time, and ICU stay also showed a significant correlation with the patient's 'CLAS' groups.
Conclusion:
The CLAS score is highly predictive of a successful repair. We thus propose that, in the patients with a score of ≤ 8, repair should always be attempted irrespective of the pathology. The patients expected to be scored > 8 should be referred to a repair reference center.
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