Mitral valvuloplasty and repair for infective endocarditis

The traditional therapy for acute bacterial endocarditis of the mitral valve refractory to medical treatment is valve replacement. Successful valvuloplasty may be feasible in selected cases, in which the infection is limited to a small portion of the mitral valve anulus. The following report describes a case in which valvuloplasty with excision of the affected valve was performed successfully with no recurrence of infection over a 3-year follow-up period.