Mitral regurgitation surgery overview


 * Associate Editor-In-Chief: Mohammed A. Sbeih, M.D. [mailto:msbeih@perfuse.org]

Overview
Vasodilator theray with ACE inhibitors and hydralazine is the mainstay of therapy in patient with chronic compensated mitral regurgitation. Acute mitral regurgitation requires urgent mitral valve repair or mitral valve replacement. MV surgery is beneficial for patients with chronic severe MR and NYHA functional class II, III, or IV symptoms in the absence of severe LV dysfunction (severe LV dysfunction is defined as ejection fraction less than 0.30) and/or end-systolic dimension greater than 55 mm. MV surgery is beneficial for asymptomatic patients with chronic severe MR and mild to moderate LV dysfunction, ejection fraction 0.30 to 0.60, and/or end-systolic dimension greater than or equal to 40 mm. MV repair is recommended over MV replacement in the majority of patients with severe chronic MR who require surgery, and patients should be referred to surgical centers experienced in MV repair.