Mitral annulus morphometry in degenerative mitral regurgitation phenotypes.

Objectives: Degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) is classified into different phenotypes based on the extent of leaflet degeneration. Our aim is to demonstrate that phenotype complexity predicts the extent of structural abnormalities of mitral annulus (MA).

Methods And Results: Seventy-five patients with DMR and severe valve regurgitation and 23 patients with normal mitral valve were studied using 3D transesophageal echocardiography.

Imaging-based tricuspid valve anatomy by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, two and three-dimensional echocardiography: correlation with anatomic specimen.

Interest on tricuspid valve (TV) (and hence in TV anatomy) has increased in the last two decades with the awareness that functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) is an insidious disease progressively leading to untreatable right heart failure and eventually to death. Medical therapy may alleviate symptoms, while surgical therapy may improve outcome but it is associated with high mortality and recurrence of significant regurgitation. Nowadays, an increasing number of left valve diseases are successfully treated through a percutaneous transcatheter approach.

Mitral valve annuloplasty and papillary muscle relocation oriented by 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography for severe functional mitral regurgitation.

Objective: The study of the mitral valve apparatus and its modifications during functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is better revealed by 3-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TOE). To plan mitral valve repair by annuloplasty and papillary muscle (PPM) relocation, we proposed a valve repair procedure oriented by the new main features obtained by real-time 3D TOE reconstruction of the mitral valve apparatus.

Methods: Since January 2008, 25 patients with severe FMR before mitral valve repair were examined.