Objective To investigate long-term echocardiography characteristics and their clinical significance of patients after mitral valve replacement （MVR）. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 204 patients who underwent prosthetic MVR and finished echocardiography examination at least 5 years after surgery in West China Hospital of Sichuan University. There were 44 male patients and 160 female patients with their age of 23 to 73 （50.9±10.6）years. Postoperatively， all the patients were followed up for 5-15 （7.9±2.3）years and regularly received echocardiography examination at the outpatient department. Analysis variables included left atrium （LA） dimension， left ventricle （LV） dimension，right atrium （RA） dimension， right ventricle （RV） dimension， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） and effective orificearea （EOA） of the mitral valve. Results Long-term echocardiography showed that LA and LV dimensions were signifi-cantly smaller than preoperative dimensions （P＜0.05）， while RA and RV dimensions were not statistically different from preoperative dimensions （P＞0.05）. Long-term LVEF was significantly higher than preoperative value （P＜0.05）. Long-term EOA was 1.1-4.8 （2.3±0.5）cm2， including EOA of 1.1-1.4 cm2 in 7 patients （3.4%，7/204），and 1.6-1.9 cm2in 42 patients （20.6%，42/204）. During long-term follow-up， 7 patients underwent their second heart surgery， including2 patients with prosthetic valve dysfunction， 1 patient with prosthetic perivalvular leak and severe hemolytic anemia，3 patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation which were not improved after medication treatment， and 1 patient with moderateaortic valve stenosis and regurgitation. Two patients had left atrial thrombosis during follow-up， including 1 patient who died of endocarditis 7 years after surgery， and another patient who was still receiving conservative therapy and further follow-up. Conclusion Concomitant tricuspid or aortic valve disease should be actively treated during MVR， and postoperative patients need better follow-up. Many patients after MVR need long-term cardiovascular medication treatment during follow-up in order to improve their heart function and long-term survival rate.
Objective To compare clinical outcomes and safety between minimally invasive mitral valve replacement via right minithoracotomy （mini-MVR） and traditional mitral valve replacement （MVR）. Methods Clinical data of 68 patients with valvular heart diseases who underwent mini-MVR from February 2009 to December 2011 in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 36 males and 32 females in this mini-MVR group with their mean age of 34.2±11.2 years. Preoperatively， there were 21 patients with mitral stenosis （MS）， 17 patients with mitral insufficiency （MI）， 30 patients with MS and MI， and 19 patients with tricuspid insufficiency （TI）. Another 200 patients with valvular heart diseases who underwent traditional MVR during the same period were included as the control group. There were 86 males and 114 females in the control group with their mean age of 49.4±13.2 years. Preoperatively， there were 85 patients with MS， 66 patients with MI， 49 patients with MS and MI， and 76 patients with TI. Hospital mortality， aortic crossclamp time， length of intensive care unit （ICU） stay， postoperative chest tube drainage， reexploration for bleeding and postoperative morbidities were compared between the two groups. Results There was no in-hospital death in the mini-MVR group. There was no statistical difference in hospital mortality， cardiopulmonary bypass time， incidence of reexploration for bleeding， postoperative arrhythmias， dialysis-requiring acute renal failure and wound infection between the two group （P＞0.05）. Aortic crossclamp time of the mini-MVR group was significantly longer than that of the control group. But postoperative mechanical ventilation time （10.2±3.1 h vs. 15.2±7.1 h， P=0.008）， chest tube drainage（92.0±28.0 ml vs. 205.0±78.0 ml， P=0.000）， blood transfusion （0.8±1.6 U vs. 1.9±2.1 U， P=0.006）， length of ICU stay （14.0±8.0 h vs. 26.0±12.0 h， P=0.003） and length of hospital stay （14.8±4.6 d vs. 19.7±3.2 d， P=0.006）of the mini-MVR group were significantly shorter or less than those of the control group. Conclusion The safety of mini-MVR is comparable to that of traditional MVR without causing higher postoperative morbidities， while the postoperative recovery after mini-MVR is better than traditional MVR.
Abstract： Objective To explore the application of lower sternal incision with on-pump， beating heart intracardiac procedures in mitral valve replacement （MVR）. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 42 patients （minimal incision group） with valvular heart diseases who underwent MVR via lower sternal incision under the beating heart condition in Xinqiao Hospital of the Third Military Medical University from January 2011 to December 2011. There were 16 male and 26 female patients with their average age of 42.3±12.7 years in the minimal incision group. We also randomly selected 42 patients with valvular heart diseases who underwent MVR via routine midline sternotomy during the same period in our department as the control group. There were 18 male and 24 female patients with their average age of 43.8±13.1 years in the control group. Operation time， cardiopulmonary bypass time， major complications， chest drainage in postoperative 24 hours， skin incision length and average postoperative hospital stay were observed and compared between the two groups. Results There was no major perioperative complication such as in-hospital death. There was no reexploration for postoperative bleeding， complete atrioventricular block， embolism or perivalvular leakage in the minimal incision group. There was no statistical difference in cardiopulmonary bypass time， operation time， or the incidence of reexploration for postoperative bleeding， wound infection and perivalvular leakage between the two groups（P＞0.05）. The skin incision length in the minimal incision group was shortened by 5.2 cm compared to that in the control group （7.9±1.4 cm vs. 13.1±3.3 cm， P=0.000）. Chest drainage in postoperative 24 hours in the minimal incision group was significantly less than that of the control group （183.6±40.2 ml vs. 273.4±59.9 ml， P=0.000）. Postoperative hospital stay in the minimal incision group was significantly shorter than that of the control group （8.1±1.3 d vs. 10.6±2.1 d， P=0.000）. Forty patients in the minimal incision group were followed up for 3-15 months and 2 patients were lost during follow-up. Four patients had postoperative wound pain， and the majority of patients didn’t have significant wound scar formation but a satisfactory quality of life. Thirty-eight patients in the control group were followed up for 3-15 months， 4 patients were lost during follow-up， and 17 patients had postoperative wound pain. Conclusion Lower sternal incision with beating heart can reduce the surgical injury， simplify the operation procedure and improve the therapeutic efficacy. It is a safe， effective and esthetic surgical approach for MVR.
Objective To compare the clinical outcomes and safety of minimally invasive and routine mitral valve repair or replacement for patients with single mitral valve disease. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 67 patients with single mitral valve disease （without aortic valve and tricuspid valve lesion or other heart diseases including atrial septal defect） who underwent mitral valve repair or replacement in the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University between January and July 2011. The patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical approaches：the minimally invasive surgery group （n=29，8 males and 21 females，age 51.4±9.4 years） underwent minimally invasive mitral valve repair or replacement via right mini-thoractomy；and the routine surgery group （n=38，11 males and 27 females，age 53.6±11.9 years） underwent mitral valve repair or replacement via middle sternotomy. In the minimally invasive surgery group，9 patients underwent mitral valve repair while the other 20 patients underwent mitral valve replacement. And no patient underwent transition to routine operation. In the routine surgery group，15 patients underwent mitral valve repair and 23 patients underwent mitral valve replacement. Clinical outcomes and safety of the operations were compared between the two groups. Results There was no statistical difference in operation time between the two groups （207.9±18.1 min versus 198.4±27.5 min，P=0.076）. The amount of postoperative drainage （126.7±34.5 ml versus 435.6±87.2 ml，P=0.000） and blood transfusion （red blood cell 1.4±0.8 U versus 2.3±1.1 U，P=0.000；blood plasma 164.3±50.4 ml versus 405.6±68.9 ml，P=0.000） of the minimally invasive surgery group were significantly lower than those of the routine surgery group. The cardiopulmonary bypass time （81.7±23.9 min versus 58.7±13.6 min，P=0.000） and aortic-clamping time （51.6±12.7 min versus 38.4±11.7 min，P=0.000） of the minimally invasive surgery group were significantly longer than those of the routine surgery group. The length of ICU stay （22.5±3.6 h versus 31.7±8.5 h，P=0.000），mechanical ventilation （7.4±3.2 h versus 11.2±5.1 h，P=0.000） and postoperative hospitalization （7.1±1.6 d versus 13.5±2.4 d，P=0.000） of the minimally invasive surgery group were significantly shorter than those of the routine surgery group. There was no statistical difference in postoperative complications between the two groups. Minimally invasive surgery group patients were followed up for 5.3±2.4 months with a follow-up rate of 72.4%（21/29）. Routine surgery group patients were followed up for 5.5±3.8 months with a follow-up rate of 71.0%（27/38）. There was no significant complication during follow-up in both two groups. Conclusion Minimally invasive mitral valve operation via right mini-thoracotomy is effective and safe with a good cosmetic result. Compared with routine operation，patients undergoing minimally invasive operation recover better and faster.
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.
Objective To evaluate postoperative quality of life （QOL） of patients aged over 65 after mitral valvereplacement （MVR）. Methods Ninety patients aged over 65 undergoing MVR by the same surgical group in Departmentof Cardiovascular Surgery of Anzhen Hospital were prospectively enrolled in this study. There were 62 male and 28 femalepatients with their age of 65-76 （68.6±6.8） years. There were 55 patients with hypertension，38 patients with type 2 diabetes，and all the patients had persistent atrial fibrillation. Nottingham Healthy Profile （NHP，Part I） and Duke Activity StatuIndex （DASI） were used to evaluate preoperative and postoperative QOL. According to the choice of prosthetic heart valves they received，all the patients were divided into two groups with 45 patients in each group: biological valve group and mechanical valve group. All the patients received MVR via the interatrial groove approach under general anesthesia and cardiopulmonary bypass. Mechanical valve replacement was performed using continuous suture without preserving the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve. Biological valve replacement was performed using interrupted suture and some of the posteriorleaflet of the mitral valve was routinely preserved. Patients in both groups underwent intraoperative bilateral pulmonary vein isolation and left atrial appendage ablation using a bipolar radiofrequency ablation device. The left atrial appendage was not excised or ligated. Results Postoperative QOL of all the patients was significantly better than preoperative QOL. There was no statistical difference in NHP and DASI at the 6th month after discharge between the 2 groups. But from the 1st year after discharge，QOL of the biological valve group was significantly better than that of the mechanical valve group. At the 3rd year after discharge，NHP and DASI of the mechanical valve group was not statistically different from those at the 1st year after discharge，but NHP and DASI of the biological valve group was significantly better than those at the 1st year after discharge. Conclusions QOL of elderly patients are significantly improved after MVR. Patients who receive biologicalvalve replacement may acquire better long-term QOL than patients who receive mechanical valve replacement.
Objective To investigate the changing tendency of mitral valve coaptation area and coaptation index of moderate mitral regurgitation （MR） in a dog experiment，and provide evidence for predicting long-term surgical results. Methods Real-time three-dimensional transesophogeal echocardiography （RT-3D-TEE） images were obtained in 15 dogs via Philips IE33 echocardiography system，and animal experiment model was established. RT-3D-TEE images were taken by gradually narrowing the ascending aorta and increasing left ventricular pressure till moderate MR. Original data were analyzed using Philips Qlab 7.0 three-dimensional quantification software，and mitral valve coaptation area and coaptation index were calculated. Specimen coaptation index of the mitral leaflets was calculated after the animal experiment. Cutoff values of coaptation index and left ventricular pressure were calculated by receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve. Results There was statistical difference in coaptation area （198±50）mm2 vs. （123±36）mm2，P＜0.05） and coaptationindex （0.25±0.06 vs. 0.13±0.03，P＜0.05） between non-MR state and MR status of the 15 dogs. The area under the ROC curve of coaptation index and moderate MR was 0.879±0.019 with 95% CI 0.843 to 0.916，and the cutoff value was 0.213（P＜0.05）. The area under the ROC curve of left ventricular pressure and moderate MR was 0.882±0.021 swith 95% CI 0.840 to 0.923，and the cutoff value was 225 （P＜0.05）. There was no statistical difference between specimen mitral valve area and early-diastolic mitral leaflet area，specimen coaptation area and coaptation area，specimen coaptation index and coaptation index （P＞0.05）. Early-diastolic mitral leaflet area was significantly correlated with specimen mitral valve area （r=0.937，P＜0.05）. Coaptation area was significantly correlated with specimen coaptation area （r=0.917，P＜0.05）. Coaptation index was significantly correlated with specimen coaptation index （r=0.946，P＜0.05）. The correlation of coaptation index and specimen coaptation index was higher than those of coaptation area and specimen coaptation area，and earlydiastolic mitral leaflet area and specimen mitral valve area. Conclusions Both coaptation area and coaptation index significantly decrease in MR status. Coaptation index can more precisely reflect MR degree，and provide reference for prognosis of mitral valve repair. RT-3D TEE can accurately measure mitral valve coaptation area and coaptation index.
Objective To evaluate clinical results of concomitant mitral valve replacement （MVR） and modified maze procedure with Atricure bipolar radiofrequency for chronic atrial fibrillation （AF）. Methods Clinical data of 59 patients with mitral valve diseases and chronic AF who underwent concomitant MVR and bipolar radiofrequency ablation in Subei People’s Hospital from June 2010 to September 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 22 male and 37 female patients with their age of 29-71 （48±11） years. The AF duration was 1.2-26.0 （7.2±3.4） years. Preoperatively，there were 20 patients with New York Heart Association （NYHA） class Ⅱ，31 patients with NYHA class Ⅲ and 8 patients with NYHA class Ⅳ. There were 32 patients with moderate to severe mitral stenosis，9 patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation and 18 patients with combined mitral stenosis and regurgitation. There were 42 patients with tricuspid regurgitation. The left artial dimension was 39-98 （55.2±8.9） mm. Left atrial thrombus was found in 9 patients. Atricure bipolar radiofrequency system was used for right atrial ablation under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass （CPB） with beating heart first，then for ablations of the left and right pulmonary vein orifices and left atrium under moderate hypothermia with heart arrest. MVR was performed after ablation procedures were completed. Amiodarone was routinely used postoperatively and patients were periodically followed up after discharge. Results There was no in-hospital death. CPB time was 65-180 （99±28）minutes，aortic cross-clamping time was 46-123 （69±17）minutes，and ablation time was 15-28 （21±4）minutes. Postoperatively，heart rhythm immediately changed to sinus rhythm （SR） in 44 patients，remained AF in 10 patients and atrial flutter in 1 patient. Temporary pacemaker was used for 4 patients with bradycardia （3 patients recovered SR and 1 patient remained AF later）. Fifty-eight patients were followed up after discharge for 6-33 months，and 1 patient was lost during follow-up. Patients’ SR rate was 86.2 % （50/58），91.4% （53/58），89.7 % （52/58），84.6 % （33/39）and 71.4 % （5/7）at discharge，3 months，6 months，1 year and 2 years after discharge respectively. There was no thrombotic event during follow-up. Conclusion Concomitant MVR and modified maze procedure with Atricure bipolar radiofrequency is a safe procedure for chronic AF with good short-term results.
Abstract： Objective To summarize our experience and clinical outcomes of preservation of posterior leaflet and subvalvular structures in mitral valve replacement（MVR）. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 1 035 patients who underwent MVR in Beijing An Zhen Hospital from January 2006 to March 2011. There were 562 male patients and 473 female patients with their age of 37-78（53.84±13.13）years old. There were 712 patients with rheumatic valvular heart disease and 323 patients with degenerative valve disease, 389 patients with mitral stenosis and 646 patients with mitral regurgitation. No patient had coronary artery disease in this group. For 457 patients in non-preservation group, bothleaflets and corresponding chordal excision was performed, while for 578 patients in preservation group, posterior leafletand subvalvular structures were preserved. There was no statistical difference in demographic and preoperative clinical characteristics between the two groups. Postoperative mortality and morbidity, and left ventricular size and function were compared between the two groups. Results There was no statistical difference in postoperative mortality（2.63% vs. 1.21%, P =0.091）and morbidity （8.53% vs. 7.44%, P=0.519）between the non-preservation group and preservation group, except that the rate of left ventricular rupture of non-preservation group was significantly higher than that of preservation group（1.09% vs. 0.00%, P=0.012）. The average left ventricular end-diastolic dimension （LVEDD）measured by echocardiography 6 months after surgery decreased in both groups, but there was no statistical difference between the two groups. The average left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 6 months after surgery was significantly improved compared with preoperative average LVEF in both groups. The average LVEF 6 months after surgery in patients with mitral regurgitation in the preservation group was significantly higher than that in non-preservation group （56.00%±3.47% vs. 53.00%±3.13%，P =0.000）, and there was no statistical difference in the average LVEF 6 months after surgery in patients with mitral stenosis between the two groups（57.00%±5.58% vs. 56.00%±4.79%，P =0.066）. Conclusion Preservation of posterior leaflet and subvalvular structures in MVR is a safe and effective surgical technique to reduce the risk of left ventricle rupture and improve postoperative left ventricular function．
Abstract： Objective To determine the influence of preoperative atrial fibrillation （AF） on midterm and longterm clinical outcomes of patients after mitral valve replacement （MVR）. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 1 029 patients who underwent MVR with or without tricuspid valve repair in Changhai Hospital， Second Military Medical University， from January 2000 to December 2005. According to the exclusion criteria， 621 patients were selected and divided into two groups depending on presence of preoperative AF. Those 395 patients with preoperative AF belonged to the AF group， including 134 males and 261 females with their average age of 51.1±11.5 years. Those 226 patients with preoperative sinus rhythm （SR） were in the SR group， including 82 males and 144 females with their average age of 48.2±14.1 years. Early postoperative outcomes， midterm and longterm mortality and morbidity of the two groups were compared. Results During 10 years of follow-up， there was no statistical difference in early postoperative mortality and morbidity between the two groups， but the incidence of late thromboembolism was significantly higher in AF group than that in SR group ［0.9‰ （31 patients/33 984 patient-months） vs. 0.4‰ （9 patients/21 151 patient-months）， χ2=4.26， P=0.039］. Ten-year survival rate in patients in AF group was significantly lower than that in SR group （83.2% vs. 92.7%， χ2=10.26， P=0.002）. Multivariate analysis identified preoperative AF ［HR=2.878， 95% CI （1.166，4.129）］， low left ventricular ejection fraction ［HR=0.948， 95% CI （0.917，0.981）］ ， and old age ［HR=1.073， 95% CI （1.038，1.109）］ as independent risk factors for late mortality after MVR. Apart from its influence on patient survival rate and incidence of thromboembolism， preoperative AF also had an adverse effect on left ventricular function， right ventricular function and tricuspid regurgitation. Conclusion AF is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis after MVR. Prognosis after MVR might be improved if surgery could be performed early when patients have predictive signs of AF such as multiple premature atrial contractions or left atrium enlargement.