Early and late results of mitral valve repair with anterior leaflet patch augmentation

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the long-term results of mitral valve (MV) repair with anterior leaflet patch augmentation. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2015, 45 patients underwent MV repair using the anterior leaflet patch augmentation technique at our institution. The mean age of the patients was 65.9 +/- 13.0 years (16 males). We reviewed the MV pathology and the surgical techniques used and assessed the early and late results. RESULTS: In terms of MV pathology, 43 patients (95.6%) had pure mitral regurgitation (MR) and 2 patients (4.4%) had mixed mitral stenosis and MR. Rheumatic changes were seen in 18 patients (40.0%). Postoperative echocardiography showed that 95.6% of patients had none to mild MR. During a median follow-up period of 5.5 years (range 0.1-8.3 years), there were 8 late deaths. Nine patients (20%) required reoperation. The mean interval between the initial operation and redo operation was 3.7 +/- 3.1 years (range: 0.4-7.8 years). The causes of reoperation included patch dehiscence (n = 4), progression of mitral stenosis (n = 2), band dehiscence (n = 1), patch enlargement (n = 1) and unknown (n = 1). Eight patients underwent MV replacement and 1 underwent repeat MV repair. The freedom from reoperation at 3 and 5 years was 85.7 +/- 6.7% and 81.2 +/- 7.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Anterior leaflet patch augmentation can provide excellent early results in the majority of the patients even in the presence of rheumatic pathology; however, we observed late reoperation in 20% of patients. Thus, this technique should be used with caution and careful follow-up with serial echocardiography is essential.