BACKGROUND The optimal treatment for ischemic mitral regurgitation remains actively debated. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between ischemic mitral regurgitation treatment strategy and survival. METHODS AND RESULTS We retrospectively reviewed patients at our institution diagnosed with significant coronary artery disease and moderate or severe ischemic mitral regurgitation from...

BACKGROUND The ability of transesophageal color Doppler echocardiography to provide high-resolution images of both cardiac structure and blood flow in real time is advantageous for many clinical purposes. This study was performed to determine the utility of the regurgitant jet width at its origin measured by transesophageal Doppler color flow imaging in the assessment of severity of mitral regu...

Parabolic resection, named for the shape of the cut edges of the excised tissue, expands on a common 'trick' used by experienced mitral surgeons to preserve tissue and increase the probability of successful repair. Our objective was to describe and clinically analyze this simple modification of conventional resection. Thirty-six patients with mitral regurgitation underwent valve repair using pa...

We compared clinical (30+/-24 months) and echocardiographic follow-up (22 +/- 20 months) data of 184 consecutive patients with myxomatous degenerative mitral regurgitation (Group A) and 85 consecutive patients with rheumatic mitral regurgitation (Group B) after repair. Selection criteria for rheumatic etiology was predominant mitral regurgitation with valve area >or= 2.0 cm(2) and with no signi...

Abbreviations: AR aortic regurgitation, AS aortic stenosis, AVA aortic valve area, CSA cross sectional area, CWD continuous wave Doppler, D diameter, HOCM hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, LV left ventricle, LVOT left ventricular outflow tract, MR mitral regurgitation, MS mitral stenosis, MVA mitral valve area, DP pressure gradient, RV right ventricle, RVOT right ventricular outflow trac...

As heart failure due to coronary and other nonvalvular heart disease becomes more prevalent in the urbanized world, functional mitral regurgitation will become a problem of increasing importance (1). Functional mitral regurgitation, which decreases effort tolerance and worsens prognosis in cardiomyopathy (2,3), is present in most patients referred for cardiac transplantation (4). It is therefor...

OBJECTIVES Mitral annular calcification is associated with significant morbidity and mortality at the time of mitral valve surgery. However, few data are available describing the impact of mitral annular calcification on early and late outcomes following mitral valve repair in the current era. METHODS Between 2001 and 2011, 625 patients were referred for mitral valve repair of severe mitral r...

Functional mitral regurgitation may have different haemodynamic consequences, clinical implications and treatment options, such as surgical or percutaneous interventions or implanting a pacemaker. Here we present two cases with haemodynamically significant intermittent functional mitral regurgitation as the underlying mechanism of heart failure. The cases underline the importance of a high inde...

BACKGROUND Ischemic mitral regurgitation is caused by systolic traction on the mitral leaflets related to ventricular distortion. Little is known about how chronic tethering affects leaflet area, in part because it cannot be measured repeatedly in situ. Recently, a new method for 3D echocardiographic measurement of mitral leaflet area was developed and validated in vivo against sheep valves, la...

Echocardiographic aspects of chronic mitral valvular disease were studied and compared to physical, radiographic and electrocardiographic aspects. Seventy dogs were used, and clinical examination, thoracic radiography, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram were performed. Correlations between regurgitation severity with cardiac failure functional class and murmur intensity were observed. The ele...