Surgical repair of the mitral valve

Chapter 9 is a new chapter from earlier editions of Practical Perioperative Transoesophageal Echocardiography. In the first part of the chapter, the indications for MV repair are reviewed, and areas of controversy are highlighted. Next, the surgical techniques used for valve repair for different mitral pathologies are summarized, in particular the use of leaflet resection or neochordae for repair of degenerative disease. Considerations for minimally invasive mitral repair are briefly reviewed. The bulk of the chapter is given over to TOE assessment prior to, and following, surgical repair. Characteristic features of, and associated complications encountered with, different mitral pathologies are presented. In particular, the risk factors for post-operative systolic anterior motion (SAM) in patients with degenerative disease and failure of a reduction annuloplasty in patients with secondary mitral regurgitation are described. The final section of the chapter details the post-repair assessment, with an emphasis on the features of an optimal repair, quantifying residual mitral regurgitation, mechanisms of repair failure, and assessment and treatment of post-operative SAM.