Surgery for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation Valve Repair v. Valve Replacement with Chordal Preservation

This study compares mitral valve repair and mitral valve replacement with chordal preservation for chronic mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration with special reference to left ventricular function. Twenty-six patients underwent complete preoperative and 2 years later postoperative echocardiography study. Thirteen patients underwent mitral valve replacement associated with preservation of chordae tendineae and papillary muscles, and 13 patients had mitral valve repair. There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups for clinical findings, hemodynamic profiles, or left ventricular function compared prior to surgery. After correcting mitral regurgitation, increase in cardiac index was significant for the repair group. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume decreased in both groups. Left ventricular end-systolic volume significantly decreased in the repair group, but remained unchanged in the replacement group. Both ejection fraction and mean left ventricular circumferential fiber shortening velocity (mVcf) decreased in the replacement group, but significantly increased in the repair group 2 years after surgery. These findings suggest valve replacement with chordal preservation shows less improvement in ventricular systolic function late after surgery compared with mitral valve repair.