Ann Thorac Surg 1998;65:1840-1841
© 1998 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Correspondence
Reply
Joong H. Choh, MDa
a Elgin Cardiac Surgery, SC, 901 Center St, Suite 307, Elgin, IL 60120 USA
To the Editor
I appreciate Drs Mediratta and Sosnowski for their comments regarding my article [1] and for sharing their experience of mitral valve replacements using the technique devised by Sintek and associates [2].
Although the technique described by Sintek and associates, known as the "Khonsari technique," appears similar to the technique shown in my article, there is a significant difference between the two techniques. When the anterior leaflet tissue and attached chordae tendineae are reattached to the anterior annulus as shown in the article by Sintek and associates, there is a genuine concern regarding potential interference of the anterior excursion of the disc of the unileaflet tilting-disc valve by the anteriorly retained leaflet tissue. This concern about potentially disastrous disc impingement made many surgeons either reluctant to use a tilting-disc (unileaflet) valve or sacrifice anterior leaflet tissue completely in mitral valve replacements. The technique described in my article, swinging the anterior leaflet tissue to and under the posterior leaflet, will completely eliminate this potential danger of disc immobilization in mitral valve replacement using a tilting-disc valve.
References
- Choh J.H. Preservation of anterior and posterior leaflet in mitral valve replacement with a tilting-disc valve. Ann Thorac Surg 1997;64:271-273.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Sintek C.F., Pfeffer T.A., Kochamba G.S., Khonsari S. Mitral valve replacement: technique to preserve the subvalvular apparatus. Ann Thorac Surg 1995;59:1027-1029.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
