Annuloplasty for Mitral Insufficiency: A Five to Six-Year Clinical and Hemodynamic Follow-Up

Nine patients were followed from 5 to 6 years after mitral annuloplasty. Seven of the nine patients were alive at follow-up, and three of nine, one third of the patients, were still improved in class I or II (New York Heart Association classification). All patients were severely disabled in class III or IV before operation.Cardiac catheterization and autopsy data at 3 to 6 years showed some progression in the pathology of the mitral valve in all patients including the third who maintained symptomatic improvement.Severe lesions at tricuspid or aortic valve, or both, had developed in four of the nine patients.Annuloplasty probably still has a place in the surgical treatment of selected patients with mitral insufficiency.