A modified Cox maze IV procedure: a simpler technique for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a simplified surgical treatment method for atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: Between September 2012 and October 2013, 120 patients (mean age, 52.3 ± 8.

Papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve in association with rheumatic heart disease: a case report.

Background: Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a rare primary cardiac neoplasm that is usually discovered incidentally at autopsy or during cardiac surgery. PFE combined with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is extremely rare, and only a few cases have been reported. Additionally, the growth rate of the tumor is unknown.

Outcomes of tricuspid annuloplasty with and without prosthetic rings: a retrospective follow-up study.

Background: The efficacies of tricuspid valve repair, risk factors for treatment failure and postoperative quality of life have not been thoroughly evaluated in patients with tricuspid insufficiency associated with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). We therefore reviewed our experience with ring and non-ring tricuspid annuloplasty for the treatment of functional tricuspid insufficiency (TI) in RHD.

Methods: This retrospective, follow-up study involved 74 RHD patients who underwent either non-ring annuloplasty (De Vega procedure; 34 patients, 45.

Rare early prosthesis obstruction after mitral valve replacement: a case report and literature review.

As a dreadful complication after the mechanical heart valve replacement, prosthetic valve obstruction caused by pannus formation occurs increasingly with time. The authors here present a case of 42-year-old woman who was urgently admitted to hospital with acute heart failure symptoms due to the mechanical mitral valve failure only 3 months after surgery. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated that the bileaflet of the mitral prosthesis were completely immobilized with only a small transvalvular jet remained.