BACKGROUND Investigation into the surgical application of robot technology continues to expand. We report on the first case series of robotic-assisted mitral valve (RAMV) repair in Canada with use of the da Vinci telemanipulation system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, Calif.). METHODS Between February 2004 and August 2004, 10 patients with normal left ventricular function and severe mitral va...

OBJECTIVES This study sought to assess the use of real-time (RT) 3-dimensional (3D) transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the evaluation of post-operative mitral valve dehiscence. BACKGROUND Mitral valve replacement or repair may be complicated by post-operative dehiscence of the valve or annuloplasty ring resulting in clinically significant mitral regurgitation or hemol...

Libman-Sacks endocarditis of the mitral valve was first described by Libman and Sacks in 1924. Currently, the sterile verrucous vegetative lesions seen in Libman-Sacks endocarditis are regarded as a cardiac manifestation of both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Although typically mild and asymptomatic, complications of Libman-Sacks endocarditis may inc...

BACKGROUND Moderate secondary tricuspid incompetence has variable natural history if left unattended during mitral valve surgery. Recent data suggest progression of the secondary tricuspid incompetence over time.Secondary moderate tricuspid regurgitation in rheumatic mitral valve disease may regress after mitral valve surgery without direct intervention. OBJECTIVES The present study was done ...

Abstract Mitral valve repair is a common and preferred technique over mitral replacement whenever it feasible. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) not only reliably identify repairable but also guide appropriate intervention. In addition to two-dimensional (2D) TEE, the three-dimensional (3D) clearly delineates size shape of apparatus, determine repairability success technique. We illustrate...

Mitral valve repair with the MitraClip device has emerged as an effective treatment option for patients with severe mitral regurgitation and contraindications for surgical interventions. While the procedure is not known to cause pulmonary complications, we describe two cases of pulmonary hemorrhage following percutaneous mitral valve repair. The patients did well with supportive care and reinit...

We report on a successful mitral valve (MV) repair and modified Cox maze procedure in a 35-year-old male patient with acromegaly, associated with severe mitral regurgitation and atrial fibrillation. He underwent a transsphenoidal adenomectomy, 7 months after the cardiac operation, and IGF-I level was normalized postoperatively. Valvular disease in patients with acromegaly is associated with hor...

This editorial refers to ‘Clinical trial design principles and endpoint definitions for transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement: part 1: clinical trial design principles’, by G.W. Stone et al., on page 1851 and ‘Clinical trial design principles and endpoint definitions for transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement: part 2: endpoint definitions’, by G.W. Stone et al., on page 1...

Mitral valve (MV) repair is the procedure of choice for MV prolapse or flail. However, valve repair is more technically demanding and requires a precise definition of MV morphology to determine the timing, complexity, and feasibility of repair. We prospectively examined 170 consecutive patients with MV prolapse or flail referred for MV repair. The MV valve was systematically assessed by intraop...

Double orifice left atrioventricular valve (DOLAVV) or double orifice mitral valve (DOMV) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly manifesting either as an isolated lesion (mitral stenosis or mitral insufficiency) or in association with other congenital cardiac defects. Signs of mitral valve disease are usually present along with the symptoms of associated coexistent congenital heart diseases. Mitr...