OBJECTIVETo summarize the experience of mitral valve (MV) repair in infants and young children with congenital mitral malformation.

METHODSThirty-eight consecutive infants and young children with this disease, aged (2.3 +/- 1.2) years, weighted (12.6 +/- 3.9) kg, underwent mitral repair from January 1996 to March 2002. The procedure included partial annuloplasty, repair of the cleft of the mitral leaflet, chordal shortening, chordal transfer, artificial chordae and reconstruction of the posterior leaflet. The modified annuloplasty allows natural growth of the annulus. The associated cardiac anomalies were totally corrected.

RESULTSIn these patients, no early and late deaths were observed, nor reoperation and severe complications. No or trivial regurgitation occurred in 11 patients, mild regurgitation in 22, and moderate and greater regurgitation in 5. Thirty-seven patients were asymptomatic.

CONCLUSIONSMitral repair procedure may be effective in infants and children with early or intermediate mitral regurgitation.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; surgery ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; congenital ; surgery