Repairing Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease

Degenerative mitral valve disease is a common cause of mitral regurgitation and results in significant morbidity and mortality. Mitral valve repair is preferred over valve replacement given improvements in survival, left ventricular function, and freedom from reoperation. The purpose of this chapter is to provide surgeons with a comprehensive overview of various strategies available to successfully repair degenerative mitral valve disease. A brief overview of pertinent surgical anatomy is followed by a discussion on operative strategy and approach, with emphasis on minimally invasive techniques. Techniques to repair posterior, anterior, and bileaflet prolapse are discussed, along with some special scenarios. The chapter concludes with an overview on evaluating the repair, postoperative care, and pearls and pitfalls.