Mitral valve repair best course of action. For patients with the most common type of mitral valve disease, termed "degenerative" or "myxomatous" mitral valve disease, repair rates are very high and long term durability is excellent. There has been great debate about timing of surgery in patients with asymptomatic mitral valve regurgitation. The traditional surgical approach to a mitral valve repair is a full or partial sternotomy, in which the surgeon cuts through the breastbone at the center of the chest to access the heart. There are minimally invasive (port access) options available pioneered by Hugo Vanerman in Belgium. The minimally invasive approach
Mitral valve annuloplasty Mitral valve annuloplasty Mitral valve annuloplasty is a surgical technique for the repair of leaking mitral valves. Due to various factors, the two leaflets normally involved in sealing the mitral valve to retrograde flow may not coapt properly. Surgical repair typically involves the implantation of a device surrounding the mitral valve, called an annuloplasty device, which pulls the leaflets together to facilitate coaptation and aids to re-establish mitral valve function. Mitral regurgitation is the most common form of mitral valve dysfunction. Today more than 2.5 million Americans are estimated to be affected by mitral regurgitation. This number is expected to