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.
Objective To compare the effect of palliative mitral valve surgeries and medication therapies for secondary non-ischemic mitral regurgitation. Methods The clinical data of patients with non-ischemic functional mitral regurgitation treated in our hospital between 2009 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)＜40% underwent a dobutamine stress test, and a positive result was determined when the LVEF improved by more than 15% compared to the baseline value. Positive patients were divided into a surgery group and a medication group. The surgery group underwent surgical mitral valve repair or replacement, while the medication group received simple medication treatment. Follow-up on survival and cardiac function status through outpatient or telephone visits every six months after surgery, and patients underwent cardiac ultrasound examination one year after surgery. The main research endpoint was a composite endpoint of all-cause death, heart failure readmission, and heart transplantation, and the differences in cardiac function and cardiac ultrasound parameters between the two groups were compared. ResultsUltimately 41 patients were collected, including 28 males and 13 females with an average age of 55.5±11.1 years. Twenty-five patients were in the surgery group and sixteen patients in the medication group. The median follow-up time was 16 months, ranging 1-96 months. The occurrence of all-cause death in the surgery group was lower than that in the medication group (HR=0.124, 95%CI 0.024-0.641, P=0.034). The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant in the composite endpoint (HR=0.499, 95%CI 0.523-1.631, P=0.229). The New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade of the surgery group was better (NYHA Ⅰ-Ⅱ accounted for 68.0% in the surgury group and 18.8% in the medication group, P<0.01) as well as the grade of mitral valve regurgitation (87.5% of the patients in the medication group had moderate or above regurgitation at follow-up, while all the patients in the surgery group had moderate below regurgitation, P<0.01). There was no statistical difference in preoperative and follow-up changes in echocardiograph parameters between the two groups (P＞0.05). Conclusion For non-ischemic functional mitral regurgitation, if the cardiac systolic function is well reserved, mitral valve surgery can improve survival and quality of life compare to simple medication therapy.
ObjectiveTo summarize and analyze the clinical outcomes of one-stage transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) combined with transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) in patients with concomitant severe aortic and mitral valve disease. Methods We retrospectively collected the clinical data of patients who underwent one-stage TAVR and TMVR at Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 2019 and May 2025. Baseline characteristics, procedural details, and perioperative echocardiographic results were recorded. Survivors were followed regularly, and the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events was assessed. ResultsA total of 12 high-risk patients with concomitant severe aortic and mitral valve disease were included, comprising 7 males with a mean age of (73.3±5.4) years. Aortic valve pathology included mixed lesions (n=1), aortic regurgitation (n=8), and aortic stenosis (n=3). Among them, 7 patients had previously undergone surgical bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. Mitral valve pathology consisted of bioprosthetic valve degeneration leading to isolated regurgitation (n=8) or mixed lesions (n=4); 11 patients had a prior surgical bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement. All patients successfully underwent one-stage TAVR combined with TMVR, with 10 procedures performed via the transapical approach, 1 via the transfemoral approach, and 1 via a combined transfemoral-transapical approach. Valve deployment was successful in all cases, with an overall device success rate of 91.7%. The median intensive care unit stay was 1.5 (IQR 1.3, 3.4) d. Early postoperative complications included 2 perioperative deaths and 2 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding, with no other major cardiovascular events observed. During follow-up, there were no deaths, permanent pacemaker implantations, and no occurrences of moderate-to-severe valve stenosis, paravalvular leak, or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Conclusion This study demonstrates that one-stage TAVR combined with TMVR is safe and effective in selected high-risk patients with concomitant severe aortic and mitral valve disease, and represents a feasible therapeutic option.
Objective
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation for concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) during minimally invasive valve surgery.
Methods
A total of 47 patients (26 males, 21 females, age of 42-69 years) with mitral valve disease and long-standing persistent AF received minimally invasive biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure combined with mitral valve surgery through right minithoracotomy from January 2014 to September 2015. The etiology of mitral valve disease was rheumatic (n=31) and degenerative (n=16). AF duration ranged from 2 to 11 years. Diameter of the left atrium ranged from 43 to 60 mm. Concomitant biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure was performed through right lateral minithoracotomy.
Results
All 47 patients successfully underwent this minimally invasive concomitant biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure and valve surgery. No patient needed conversion to sternotomy during the surgery. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time and cryoablation time was 95-146 (120.3±12.3) min, 82-115 (93.3±7.7) min and 32-48 (38.6±4.5) min, respectively. There was no death perioperatively. The average postoperative length of hospital stay was 5-16 (7.9±1.9) d. At discharge, 44 patients (44/47, 93.6%) maintained sinus rhythm. At a mean follow-up of 6-26 (14.4±5.4) months, sinus rhythm was maintained in 41 patients (41/47, 87.2%). Cumulative maintenance rate of normal sinus rhythm without AF recurrence at one year postoperatively was 86.3%±5.8%.
Conclusion
Biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure is safe, feasible and effective for AF during concomitant minimally invasive valve surgery.
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.
This article reports a case of a 70-year-old female patient who developed bioprosthetic mitral valve deterioration 4 months after her initial valve replacement surgery, manifesting as severe regurgitation and New York Heart Association Class Ⅲ. Due to the high risk of a redo open-heart surgery, she underwent a transapical transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve procedure. Intraoperatively, a J-Valve prosthesis was successfully implanted under echocardiographic and fluoroscopic guidance. Immediate transesophageal echocardiography confirmed an optimal valve position, complete resolution of regurgitation, and no significant paravalvular leak or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. She was extubated 16 hours post-procedure with significant improvement in cardiac function. Follow-up echocardiography showed normal prosthetic valve function.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the changes of left ventricular structure and function by echocardiography and its grading of left ventricular diastolic function in patients with mitral valve prolapse treated by minimally invasive mitral valve repair.MethodsBy retrospective analysis, 37 patients including 25 males and 12 females aged 53.49±11.02 years with mitral valve prolapse who underwent minimally invasive mitral valve repair were as an operation group, and 34 healthy persons including 19 males and 15 females aged 54.26±8.33 years matched by age and sex were selected as a control group. Ultrasound parameters of every participant were routinely collected before operation, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after operation, and left ventricular diastolic function was graded. The ultrasound parameters between the two groups were compared.ResultsThe diameters of left ventricular end systolic and diastolic phase, left atrial diameter and left ventricular volume in the operation group were significantly smaller than those before operation. The diameters of left ventricle and left atrium after operation were significantly shorter than those before operation, but they were still larger than those of the control group. The ejection fraction value decreased significantly at one month after the operation and then returned to normal level. The incidence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction at 6 months and 1 year after operation was significantly lower than that before operation (P<0.05).ConclusionMinimally invasive repair for patients with mitral valve prolapse can significantly improve systolic and diastolic functions of left ventricle while reconstructing left atrial and left ventricular structures.
Mitral regurgitation is the most common cardiac valve disease, with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is used as a promising intervention in non-surgical patients and in those with unsuitable anatomy for transcatheter edge-to-edge repair. TMVR can also be performed for inoperable or high-risk patients with degenerated or failed bioporstheses or failed repairs, or in patients with severe annular calcifications. The complex anatomy of the mitral valves makes the design of transcatheter mitral valve prostheses extremely challenging, and increases the difficulty of TMVR procedure, thus could led to non-negligible complications including periprocedural and post-procedural long-term complications. This review aims to discuss the potential TMVR-complications and measures implemented to mitigate these complications, in order to improve the prognosis of TMVR 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.
Atrial functional mitral regurgitation has been referred to patients with atrial fibrillation related functional mitral regurgitation without left ventricular dysfunction and it has nowadays received remarked attention in structural heart disease field. Significant dilation of mitral annulus and left atrium, insufficient leaflet remodeling, iatrogenic leaflet tethering, reduced annular contractility and increased valve stress by flattened saddle shape of the annulus might be important triggers of atrial functional mitral regurgitation. Recently, several studies indicated that transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair could be an effective strategy for atrial functional mitral regurgitation. In this review, the definition, mechanism together with efficacy and safety of transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair in atrial functional mitral regurgitation are discussed.
