Chordae Tendineae ; Female ; Heart Rupture ; Humans ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Rupture

Child ; Chordae Tendineae ; injuries ; Female ; Heart Valve Diseases ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; injuries

Ante mortem cases of venous thrombosis in patients with nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) have not yet been reported. We describe a rare case of NBTE in a patient with mesenteric vein thrombosis. A healthy 37-year-old man with abdominal pain and fever underwent emergency small bowel resection due to bowel ischemia resulting from mesenteric vein thrombosis. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed multiple mobile masses attached to the anterior leaflet of the mitral valves and their chordae tendineae. On suspicion of infective endocarditis, the cardiac masses were excised through open-heart surgery. However, pathologic reviews were compatible with NBTE. The patient was stable after the cardiac surgery and was treated with warfarin. Laboratory and imaging findings regarding his hypercoagulable condition were all negative.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Ants ; Chordae Tendineae ; Echocardiography ; Emergencies ; Endocarditis* ; Endocarditis, Non-Infective ; Fever ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Ischemia ; Mesenteric Veins* ; Mitral Valve ; Thoracic Surgery ; Thrombosis* ; Venous Thrombosis ; Warfarin

BACKGROUND: Mitral valve repair for posterior mitral leaflet (PML) prolapse has been considered to be a standard treatment because of its high success rate and high level of patient satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical results of two different techniques of PML prolapse, quadrangular resection (QR) and chordal replacement (CR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects consisted of 56 patients who had undergone mitral valve repair for PML prolapse between November 1997 and December 2010. The patients were divided into two groups according to surgical technique. Among them, 31 patients underwent QR (group QR) and 25 patients had CR (group CR). We reviewed the medical records of the patients retrospectively to compare the clinical outcomes of both groups. RESULTS: After mitral valve repair, the degree of mitral regurgitation (MR) in both groups decreased to the to a mild degree or less and the amount of remnant MR was slightly higher in the CR group but it was not statistically different. Three patients received mitral valve-related reoperation (2 in the QR group and 1 in the CR group). Freedom from mitral valve-related reoperation at 7 years was 93% for the QR group and 96% for the CR group and was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Both QR and CR showed excellent long-term results and were considered equally effective methods for PML prolapse.
Chordae Tendineae ; Freedom ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Prolapse ; Patient Satisfaction ; Prolapse ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies

INTRODUCTIONPapillary muscle rupture and dysfunction can lead to complications of prolapsed mitral valve and mitral regurgitation. Multiple operative procedures of the papillary muscles, such as resection, repositioning and realignment, are carried out to restore normal physiological function. Therefore, it is important to know both the variations and the normal anatomy of papillary muscles.

METHODSThis study was carried out on 116 human cadaveric hearts. The left ventricles were opened along the left border in order to view the papillary muscles. The number, shape, position and pattern of the papillary muscles were observed.

RESULTSIn this series, the papillary muscles were mostly found in groups instead of in twos, as is described in standard textbooks. Four different shapes of papillary muscles were identified - conical, broad-apexed, pyramidal and fan-shaped. We also discovered various patterns of papillary muscles.

CONCLUSIONNo two mitral valve complexes have the same architectural arrangement. Each case seems to be unique. Therefore, it is important for scientists worldwide to study the variations in the mitral valve complex in order to ascertain the reason behind each specific architectural arrangement. This will enable cardiothoracic surgeons to tailor the surgical procedures according to the individual papillary muscle pattern.

Adult ; Anatomy ; methods ; Cadaver ; Chordae Tendineae ; anatomy & histology ; Heart ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mitral Valve ; pathology ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; physiopathology ; Models, Anatomic ; Papillary Muscles ; pathology ; Thoracic Surgery ; methods

The incidence and importance of tricuspid valve regurgitation after a blunt chest injury has risen with the increase in the number of automobile accidents and steering wheel traumas. This kind of injury has been reported more frequently in the last decade because of the better diagnostic procedures and understanding of the pathology. However, tricuspid valve regurgitation following a blunt chest injury can still be easily missed because most patients do not show symptoms at the time of the trauma. A 55-year-old male patient presented himself at our facility after suffering a chest injury from an automobile accident. His transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed severe tricuspid valve regurgitation due to the prolapse of his anterior valve leaflet. We report a case of asymptomatic tricuspid regurgitation that developed after a blunt chest injury.
Automobiles ; Chordae Tendineae* ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pathology ; Prolapse ; Rupture* ; Thoracic Injuries* ; Thorax* ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency* ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating

A 6 year-old, spayed female, Maltese dog was presented with precordial thrill and mild coughing. Thoracic auscultation revealed a grade V/VI systolic murmur with maximal intensity over the left apex characterized by musical murmur. Echocardiography revealed mild myxomatous degeneration of mitral valve and ruptured chordae tendineae. Musical murmur was produced due to the vibration of ruptured piece of chordae tendineae along with regurgitant flow. After treatment with furosemide and ramipril, clinical signs resolved and precordial thrill reduced. This case report describes typical clinical signs and phonocardiogram of musical murmur in a dog with acute chordae tendineae rupture.
Animals ; Auscultation ; Child ; Chordae Tendineae* ; Cough ; Dogs* ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Furosemide ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Music* ; Ramipril ; Rupture* ; Systolic Murmurs ; Vibration

The mitral valve complex is consisted of annulus, leaflets, chordae tendineae, papillary muscle (PMs) and surrounding left ventricle. Functional mitral regurgitation (MR) results from left ventricular remodeling such as dilatation or distortion, which displaces the PMs and then tethers the mitral leaflets, restricting leaflet coaptation. Undersized annuloplasty, which has been widely accepted as a simple and effective procedure for functional MR, sometimes worsens the tethering of posterior leaflet and induces recurrent MR. In order to overcome such problems, several additional procedures to the simple annuloplasty have been produced. Three dimensional echocardiography plays an essential role to understand the geometry of mitral valve complex and contributes greatly to decision making of the surgical strategy in functional MR and its postoperative assessment.
Chordae Tendineae ; Decision Making ; Dilatation ; Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional ; Heart Ventricles ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Papillary Muscles ; Ventricular Remodeling

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of mitral annuloplasty of anterior mitral valve prolapse with artificial chord and mitral annuloplasty ring. METHODS: From March 2009 to December 2011, 32 patients having anterior mitral valve prolapse received mitral annuloplasty with artificial chord and mitral annuloplasty ring in our department, among which 27 simple anterior mitral valve plasty and 5 combine anterior-posterior mitral valve plasty were completed. RESULTS: All patients survived. Postoperative echocardiography showed no or trivial mitral regurgitation in 28 patients and mild mitral regurgitation in the other 4 patients. The diameter of the left atrium (LA) and left ventricle (LV), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) obviously decreased after the operation. During the follow up of 3 months to 3 years, the cardiac function of the patients improved at different degrees. CONCLUSION Reparation of anterior mitral valve prolapse with artificial chord and mitral annuloplasty ring is simple, reliable and effective, and its early to midterm result after the operation proves good.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Chordae Tendineae ; surgery ; Female ; Heart Valve Prosthesis ; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mitral Valve ; surgery ; Mitral Valve Annuloplasty ; methods ; Mitral Valve Prolapse ; surgery ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDRepair of anterior mitral leaflet (AML) prolapse is still a technical challenge for cardiac surgeons. It is an important issue to find a way to repair the AML prolapse with a reliable and reproducible technique.

METHODSBetween January 2002 and June 2009, the operation of chordal transfer based on the "edge-to-edge" technique was performed in 21 patients with serious mitral valve regurgitation because of prolapse of the anterior leaflet. After the operation, echocardiography was performed in each patient before discharge and at the time of follow-up.

RESULTSAll patients survived the operation. One patient required mitral valve replacement because of anterior leaflet perforation 3 days after the operation. The other patients were free from reoperation. At the time of follow-up, all these patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class I. In all these patients, pre-discharge and follow-up echocardiography showed neither stenosis nor significant regurgitation of the mitral valve: the cross-sectional area of the mitral valve was 3.3 - 4.8 cm(2) (mean (3.78 ± 0.52) cm(2)), the mean regurgitation area was (0.45 ± 0.22) cm(2). At the same time, both dimension of left atrium and left ventricle reduced significantly (left atrium diameter: pre-operation (48.26 ± 11.12) mm, post-operation (37.57 ± 9.56) mm, P < 0.05; the end-diastolic diameter of the left ventricle: pre-operation (61.43 ± 8.24) mm, post-operation (42.35 ± 10.79) mm, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION"Edge-to-edge" chordal transfer technique is a simple, reliable, and reproducible technique that can provide good results for repair of anterior leaflet prolapse of mitral valve.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Chordae Tendineae ; surgery ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mitral Valve ; surgery ; Mitral Valve Prolapse ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Suture Techniques