Mitral valve repair in rheumatic patients with mitral insuficiency: twenty years of techniques and results.

Objective: Mitral valve repair in rheumatic patients is still a challenge. The purpose of this study is to analyze the results of mitral valve repair in rheumatic patients in the Heart Institute University of Sao Paulo Medical School.

Methods: Were analyzed retrospectively, between 1985 and 2005, 330 patients submitted to mitral valve repair in the Heart Institute of São Paulo.

Right sinus of Valsalva aneurysm causing extrinsic coronary compression.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a rare cardiac disorder. It is more frequently a congenital, but it may also be an acquired condition. Takayasu's disease is an extremely rare cause of this disorder.

Particulate emboli capture by an intra-aortic filter device during aortic valve replacement.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the embolic activity in patients with calcified aortic stenosis who underwent aortic valve replacement using intra-aortic filtration with an EMBOL-X System device (Edwards Lifesciences Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA).

Methods: From January 2007 to July 2007, 13 consecutive patients with calcified aortic stenosis, who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement using intra-aortic filtration by an EMBOL-X System for 5 minutes after aortic clamp release, were evaluated.