OBJECTIVES Ischaemic mitral valve regurgitation is associated with a significant reduction in survival and its treatment in patients undergoing surgical ventricular reconstruction is usually associated with higher perioperative morbidity and mortality. We evaluated our 11-year experience in this cohort of patients. METHODS Between January 2000 and December 2010, a total of 282 patients underw...

I thank Alpat and Yilmaz [1] for their interest in my article published in the journal. It is my pleasure to respond. In our hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) group with severe hypertrophy and obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), we had no cases with severe mitral incompetence [2]. A systolic anterior movement of the mitral valve (SAM) after surgery was noted ...

A 39-year-old woman had undergone mitral valve replacement (MVR) (29-mm Björk-Shiley Delrin disk) at 6 years of age. Severe mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, and left ventricular dilatation were detected by echocardiography in October 2006, and MVR (ON-X 25 mm) and aortic valve replacements (St. Jude Medical Regent, 21 mm) were performed in December. The Delrin disk of the previous pr...

Rheumatic valve disease, a consequence of acute rheumatic fever, remains endemic in developing countries in the sub-Saharan region where it is the leading cause of heart failure and cardiovascular death, involving predominantly a young population. The involvement of the mitral valve is pathognomonic and mitral surgery has become the lone therapeutic option for the majority of these patients. Ho...

Mitral valve myxoma is a very rare entity. Multiple myxomas with extensive involvement of the anterior and posterior leaflets of the mitral valve are exceedingly rare. We report a 58-year-old man who was admitted as sudden syncope. Thoracic echocardiography showed several masses adherent to the anterior and posterior leaflets and the mitral annulus with obvious mobility. Intraoperative probing ...

Relevant secondary mitral regurgitation occurs in 35– 50% of patients with chronic heart failure and is associated with increased mortality. Surgical management of patients with mitral valve regurgitation and heart failure remains controversial. There are several questions which are not sufficiently clarified because of a lack of prospective randomised controlled trials: (1.) The indication for...

BACKGROUND Silver coating of the sewing ring (Silzone) was introduced as a modification of the St Jude Medical standard valve to provide antibacterial protection, but the valve has recently been withdrawn. OBJECTIVE To study patients with these prostheses to assess possible adverse effects, and to guide their follow up. DESIGN Prospective observational study of risk factors for stroke after...

Background: Silver coating of the sewing ring (Silzone) was introduced as a modification of the St Jude Medical standard valve to provide antibacterial protection, but the valve has recently been withdrawn. Objective: To study patients with these prostheses to assess possible adverse effects, and to guide their follow up. Design: Prospective observational study of risk factors for stroke after ...

Risk factors for the development of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) were analyzed in 2642 patients undergoing initial valve replacement at the Massachusetts General Hospital from 1975 to 1982. Follow-up was available for 2608 patients (98.7%); the mean length of follow-up was 39.8 months. PVE developed in 116 patients (4.4%). The actuarial risk of PVE was 3.1% at 12 months and 5.7% at 60 mo...

A 78-year old male patient was referred because of progressive dyspnoea. A diastolic murmur was detected and echocardiography showed two intracardiac masses (Fig. 1A). A computed tomography scan confirmed massive calcification of the entire mitral valve (Fig. 1B and D). Associated with valve degenerative processes, mitral valve calcification implies challenging valve replacement procedures and ...