Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair with extended clip arms for ventricular functional mitral...

The new sizing options of the MitraClip system (Abbott Vascular, Abbott Park, IL, USA) with extended clip arms were recently developed. Its applicability and effectiveness for ventricular functional mitral regurgitation (VFMR) are yet to be investigated.

We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with symptomatic VFMR who underwent transcatheter edge-to-edge repair between 2018 and 2022 at the Sakakibara Heart Institute. Pre- and post-procedural mitral valve morphologies were assessed using three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography.

In a total of 104 VFMR patients, the posterior mitral leaflet length was 12.8 ± 2.8 mm and 92 % was indicative of the extended arm (≥9 mm). Although baseline VFMR was more severe in the patients treated with the extended arms (n = 35, XT group) than the patients treated with the standard arms (n = 69, NT group), the decrease in VFMR was greater in the XT group (delta three-dimensional vena contracta area - 43 ± 33 mm² vs. -31 ± 22 mm², p = 0.030) and residual VFMR was similar between the groups, with a significantly greater reduction in the mitral annulus anterior-posterior diameter (-4.9 ± 2.2 mm vs -3.1 ± 2.1 mm, p < 0.001) and mitral annulus area in the XT group. The use of extended arms was independently associated with shorter procedure time (81 ± 26 min vs 108 ± 41 min) after adjustment for device generation and the number of clips (p = 0.017).

Most VFMR patients had enough leaflet lengths for transcatheter edge-to-edge repair using the MitraClip with the extended arms, which was associated with shorter procedure time and a greater decrease in the mitral annular size.