Concomitant Left Atrial Reduction in Rheumatic Mitral Valve Disease With Giant Left Atrium: Our Technique With Midterm Results.

Objective: The giant left atrium is a frequent finding with rheumatic heart disease. The enlarged left atrium was found to be a risk factor for early mortality and postoperative higher thromboembolic events, but its management remains controversial. Most of the surgeons just do the mitral valve procedure without any intervention for enlarged left atrium.