Objective To summarize surgical techniques，advantages and clinical outcomes of mitral valvuloplasty for anterior mitral leaflet prolapse with looped artificial chordae. Methods Clinical data of 13 patients with anteriormitral leaflet prolapse and severe mitral regurgitation （MR） who underwent mitral valvuloplasty with looped artificial chordaefrom January 2009 to December 2011 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 8 male and 5 female patients with their age of 21-61 （39.5±12.9） years. There were 10 patients with anterior mitral leaflet chordal rupture and 3 patients with anterior mitral leaflet elongation. Preoperative left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVEDD） was 52-65 （58.3±1.7） mm，and left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） was 53%-65% （58.8%±2.8%）. All the patients underwent mitral valvuloplasty. We measured the neighboring normal chordae with a caliper for reference and constructed the artificial chordal loops on the caliper with expended polytetrafluoroethylene（ePTFE） CV4 Gore-Tex suture lines. Three to five loops were made and fixed to the papillary muscle with a Gore-Tex suture line and the free edge of the prolapsedanterior mitral leaflet with another Gore-Tex suture line，with the intervals between the loops of 5 mm. Left ventricular watertesting was performed to evaluate MR status，annuloplasty ring implantation or “edge to edge” technique was used if nece-ssary，and left ventricular water testing was performed again to confirm satisfactory closure of the mitral valve. Patientsreceived re-warming on cardiopulmonary bypass and the heart incision was closed. The effect of mitral annuloplasty was alsoassessed by transesophageal echocardiography （TEE） after heart rebeating. Warfarin anticoagulation was routinely used for 3 months after discharge. Results There was no perioperative death in this group. Twelve patients received satisfactory outcomes after 1-stage mitral valvuloplasty with looped artificial chordae and annuloplasty ring implantation. One patient didn’t receive satisfactory outcomes in the left ventricular water testing after mitral valvuloplasty with looped artificial chordae，but satisfactory outcome was achieve after “edge to edge” technique was used，and annuloplasty ring was not used for this patient. Postoperative echocardiography showed trivial to mild MR in all the patients，their LVEDD was significantly reducedthan preoperative LVEDD （47.5±2.1 mm vs. 58.3±1.7 mm，P＜0.05），and there was no statistical difference between postoperative and preoperative LVEF（58.5%±2.6% vs. 58.8%±2.8%，P＞0.05）. All the patients were followed up for 3-36 （19.5±3.7） months. Echocardiography showed mild MR in 4 patients and none or trivial MR in 9 patients during follow-up.Conclusion Mitral valvuloplasty with looped artificial chordae is an effective surgical technique for the treatment of anterior mitral leaflet prolapse with satisfactory clinical outcomes，and this technique is also easy to perform.
Abstract： Objective To summarize the experiences and analyze the efficacy of mitral valvuloplasty in treating anterior leaflet prolapse. Methods A total of 152 consecutive nonrheumatic heart disease patients including 96 males and 56 females with anterior leaflet prolapse who underwent mitral valvuloplasty from February 1997 to March 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. The age of these patients ranged from 10 to 73 years old (38.54±17.22 years). There were 119 cases of mitral degenerative prolapse or chordae rupture, 24 of ongenital heart disease, 3 of ischemic mitral insufficiency, and 6 of native valve endocarditis. Echocardiography before operation showed the degree of mitral regurgitation was severe in 19, moderate to severe in 63, and moderate in 70 patients. Among the patients, 87 had anterior prolapse and 65 had bilateral prolapse. All patients underwent mitral valve repair under standard cardiopulmonary bypass. Results During the operation, transesophageal echocardiography and saline injection test showed satisfying results in all the patients. No early death occurred after operation. Followup was done to 135 patients for 3 months to 8.5 years with a followup rate of 88.82%. During the follow up, 93 patients were in New Yoke Heart Association（NYHA）class Ⅰ, 35 in Class Ⅱ, 3 in class Ⅲ and 4 in class Ⅳ. The Echocardiography showed that postoperative left atrium diameter (41.09±10.40 mm vs. 45.32±10.07 mm, t=4.186, P=0.000) and left ventricular enddiastolic dimension (52.04±7.74 mm vs. 60.70±7.72 mm,t=9.676, P=0.000) were significantly smaller than that before operation. No or trace mitral regurgitation (MR) was found in 36 patients, mild MR in 45 patients, mild to moderate MR in 38 patients, moderate MR in 9 patients, and moderate to severe MR in 7 patients. Mitral valve replacement was performed in 5 patients after valvuloplasty. Three died during the follow-up. Two of them died of heart failure and one of unknown cause. Conclusion In spite of the complexity, the longterm results of mitral valve repair for anterior leaflet prolapse are satisfactory if the best surgery method is chosen.