Objective To evaluate the relationship between pattern of left ventricular dilation and functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) by echocardiography. Methods A single-center retrospective observational study was conducted on 117 patients with age of 31-77 years and left ventricular end diastolic dimension≥60 mm treated in our hospital from January 2013 through May 2016. These patients were divided into four groups by FMR degree: FMR-None/Trace (FMR-N/T group,n=33), FMR-Minor (FMR-Mi group,n=37), FMR-Moderate (FMR-Mo group,n=34) and FMR-Severe (FMR-Se group,n=13). We analyzed their basic information and echocardiographic parameters including left ventricular dimension, volume, systolic function, spherical index, regional wall motion score index, tenting height and area of mitral vavle as well as anterior/posterior angle. Results The incidences of inferior/posterior/lateral myocardial infarction and basal myocardial dyskinesia/aneurysm increased with the increase of FMR degree (FMR-N/T vs. FMR-Mi vs. FMR-Mo vs. FMR-Se: 12.1% vs. 18.9% vs. 44.1% vs. 46.2%,P=0.001 and 12.1% vs. 27.0% vs.47.1% vs. 53.8%,P=0.005, respectively). The tenting height and area of mitral valve, anterior/posterior angle, regional wall score index of the left ventricle where the papillary muscle was attached to had a positive correlation with FMR degree (P＜0.05). Conclusion There is a relationship between regional left ventricular dilation and FMR. Evaluating and improving those parameters is very important when we choose the treatment strategy of functional mitral regurgitaion.
Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries are the trend in the future. Among them, robotic cardiac surgery is the latest iteration with several key-hole incision, 3-dimentional visualization, and articulated instrumentation of 7 degree of ergonomic freedom for those complex procedures in the heart. In particular, robotic mitral valve surgery, as well as coronary artery bypass grafting, has evolved over the last decade and become the preferred method at certain specialized centers worldwide because of excellent results. Other cardiac procedures are in various stages of evolution. Stepwise innovation of robotic technology will continue to make robotic operations simpler, more efficient, and less invasive, which will encourage more surgeons to take up this technology and extend the benefits of robotic surgery to a larger patient population.
ObjectiveTo analyze the effect of loop-in-loop technique and annuloplasty ring for the treatment of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) under total thoracoscopy.MethodsBetween May 2012 and May 2017, 21 patients with MVP underwent mitral valve repair in our hospital. There were 12 males and 9 females with a mean age of 50.90±9.66 years and the mean weight of 64.81±11.56 kg. Loop-in-loop artificial chordae tendonae reconstruction and mitral annuloplasty were performed through the right atrial-atrial septal incision under total thoracoscopy. The water test and transesophageal echocardiography were performed during the operation to evaluate the effect of mitral annuloplasty. Data of echocardiography and chest radiography were collected postoperatively one week, before discharge and after discharge.ResultsAll the operations were successful without re-valvupoplasty or valve replacement, conversion to median thoracotomy, malignant arrhythmia, perioperative death or wound infection. Among them, 10 patients underwent tricuspid valvuloplasty, 1 patient underwent tricuspid valvuloplasty plus radiofrequency ablation simultaneously. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 255.57±37.24 minutes, aortic occlusion time was 162.24±19.61 minutes, the number of loop was 2–5 (3.29±0.78), the size of ring was 28–34 (31.11±1.88) mm, ventilator assistance time was 19.43±14.68 hours, ICU time was 58.45±24.60 hours and postoperative hospital stay was 12.28±3.61 days. Transthoracic echocardiography was re-examined postoperatively. Mild-mitral regurgitation was found in 3 patients. Warfarin anticoagulant therapy was given orally for 6 months postoperatively. The patients were followed up regularly for 2–51 months at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) was 45.06±2.96 mm, left ventricular end-diastolic volume 108.11±17.09 mL, left atrial diameter (LAD) 35.56±6.93 mm and cardiothoracic ratio 0.53±0.13 at discharge which were significantly smaller than those at admission (P<0.05). Pulmonary artery pressure was 19.22±6.38 mm Hg which was significantly lower than that at admission (P<0.05), but left ventricular ejection fraction (62.33%±4.00%) had no significant change (P>0.05). The LAD and LVEDD were significantly smaller than those before operation, and the cardiac function improved to some extent during the follow-up. No new mitral valve prolapse, increased regurgitation, infective endocarditis, thromboembolism or anticoagulation-related complications were found during the follow-up.ConclusionLoop-in-loop artificial chordae tendon implantation combined with mitral annuloplasty is a safe and effective method for MVP under total thoracoscopy with minimal trauma, satisfactory cosmetic effect, and good early- and medium-term results. It is worth of popularizing. However, the operation time needs to be further shortened, and its long-term clinical effect needs further follow-up and other researches to confirm.
Atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR) is characterized by left atrial enlargement, without left ventricular dilation or systolic dysfunction, and with structurally normal leaflet tissue. It predominantly occurs in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The complex pathophysiological mechanisms involve mitral annular dilation, atriogenic leaflet tethering, and inadequate leaflet adaptation. Currently, standardized management protocols for AFMR remain lacking. Common approaches include pharmacotherapy, rhythm control, and surgical or percutaneous interventions, all requiring individualized therapeutic strategy based on etiology and clinical characteristics. This review discusses recent advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of AFMR, aiming to provide valuable insights for clinical practice and future research.
With the expanding indications for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) guidelines, combined valvular disease is often encountered in the clinic, and existing relevant studies have shown that preoperative moderate to severe mitral regurgitation is associated with higher mortality. In these patients, the optimal treatment strategy for TAVR with evidence-based heart failure, TAVR with transcatheter mitral intervention, or staging transcatheter therapy are unclear. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of the anatomy and function of the aortic and mitral valves, as well as an in-depth assessment of the patient’s baseline risk profile, are the basis for an individualized approach to treatment. This article will review the results of the relevant research to better help clinicians diagnose and treat relevant patients.
Over the past 20 years, transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (TEER) has become an important treatment option for patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) who are at high surgical risk. Initially, several landmark clinical studies established the basis of TEER for primary and secondary MR, but they only involved clinically stable patients with appropriate mitral valve anatomy. With the increasing experience of interventional therapy, the iteration of equipment and the improvement of intraoperative imaging technology, the scope of use of TEER has been continuously expanded, and its indications have been continuously expanded to more complex mitral valve lesions and clinical situations. Therefore, in clinical practice, selecting the appropriate device according to the individual anatomical characteristics of the patient can minimize MR and complications, thereby optimizing immediate and long-term prognosis. This article mainly introduces the pathogenesis and related mechanisms of MR, the main TEER devices and their clinical evidence, the limitations of TEER, and the future development direction.
For mitral valve disease with mitral annular calcification (MAC), surgery remains challenging. Up to now, there is no ideal management strategy or patient selection standard, and perioperative and periprocedural morbidity and mortality rates remain high. The recent surge of patients presenting with MAC has been accompanied by increased interest in MAC surgery and interventions. The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Clinical Practice Standards Committee is meant to provide a simplified outline for managing MAC. Combined with progress of MAC therapy, a detailed interpretation of the 2025 expert consensus is provided which include patient selection, preoperative evaluation (especially imaging evaluation), indications of intervention, surgical and transcatheter therapeutic options, and postoperative complications and remedial measures.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of different surgical strategies for moderate functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) at the time of aortic valve replacement (AVR) on patients' prognosis.MethodsA total of 118 AVR patients, including 84 males and 34 females, aged 58.1±12.4 years, who were complicated with moderate FMR were retrospectively recruited. Patients were divided into three groups according to the treatment strategy of mitral valve: a group A (no intervention, n=11), a group B (mitral valve repair, n=51) and a group C (mitral valve replacement, n=56). The primary endpoint was the early and mid-term survival of the patients, and the secondary endpoint was the improvement of FMR.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 29.5 months. Five patients died perioperatively, all of whom were from the group C. Early postoperative FMR improvement rates in the group A and group B were 90.9% and 94.1% (P=0.694). The mid-term mortality in the three groups were 0.0%, 5.9% and 3.9%, respectively (P=0.264), while the incidences of major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events were 0.0%, 9.8% and 17.7%, respectively (P=0.230). Improvements of FMR in the group A and group B were 100.0% and 94.3% at the mid-term follow-up (P>0.05).ConclusionFor patients receiving AVR with moderate FMR, conservative treatment or concurrent repair of mitral valve may be more reasonable, while mitral valve replacement may increase the incidence of early and mid-term adverse events.
American College of Cardiology (ACC) issued the updated expert consensus decision pathway on the management of mitral regurgitation in April 2020. The whole process in caring patients with mitral valve regurgitation from patient evaluation to treatment choice was discussed in the consensus. The main change from the 2017 version is the confirmation of the effect of transcatheter mitral valve repair on secondary mitral regurgitation. It standardized the process in this field. In this paper, we aimed to introduce the focus update of this consensus.
Mitral regurgitation is the most common heart valvular disease at present. In the past, mitral regurgitation was mainly treated by surgical mitral valve repair or replacement. However, with the progress of transcatheter interventional techniques and instruments in recent years, transcatheter mitral valve interventional therapy has gradually shown its advantages and benefited patients. The purpose of this article is to review the progress of transcatheter mitral valve intervention in this year, and to provide prospects for the future of transcatheter mitral valve treatment.