The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 40, 31-34, Copyright © 1985 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
The results of valve replacement for mitral valve prolapse
WL Old 3d, JW Hammon Jr, CW Henry, RL Prager and HW Bender Jr
Between January, 1975, and December, 1982, 33 patients underwent mitral
valve replacement for mitral valve prolapse secondary to myxomatous
degeneration. The majority were in the seventh decade of life (median age,
62 years), and all were seen with symptoms of mitral regurgitation.
Echocardiography was more accurate in making the diagnosis of mitral valve
prolapse more often (75%) than angiography (66%). Thirty-eight percent of
the patients who underwent cineangiography had concomitant coronary artery
disease and had coronary artery bypass grafting as well as mitral valve
replacement. There was 1 operative death, an operative mortality of 3%.
There were 6 late deaths, a late mortality of 18%. Of the 26 long-term
survivors, 23 (88%) were in New York Heart Association Functional Class I
and 3 (12%) were in Class II. The average length of follow-up was 33.25
months, and the 5-year actuarial survival was 76%. There was only one
incident of thromboembolism (3%). Short-term and long-term survival were
not related to the severity of mitral regurgitation but to the status of
the left ventricle and the overall condition of the patient. These data
suggest that older patients with severe mitral regurgitation secondary to
mitral valve prolapse can undergo valve replacement with low operative
mortality and gratifying long-term results.
