This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Henning J. Du Toit John Hewitson Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Du Toit, H. J. Articles by Davies, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Du Toit, H. J. Articles by Davies, J. Related Collections Cardiac - other Valve disease

Left ventricular sub-valvar mitral aneurysms

^a Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
^b Cardiac Directorate, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
^c Department of Cardiology, Red Cross Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

^* Corresponding author. Tel.: +44-29-2074-2944; Fax: +44-29-2074-5439
uvonopp{at}cardiffandvale.wales.nhs.uk

We retrospectively reviewed the surgical treatment of 12 patients (nine female, mean age 16.1±8.7 years) with sub-mitral aneurysms managed in our institution between 1991 and 2002. We identified three groups of patients in accordance with the degree of posterior mitral annular involvement by the aneurysm. A single aneurysm neck was found in seven patients, multiple necks in two and involvement of the entire posterior mitral annulus in three patients. Involvement of the entire posterior annulus by the aneurysmal process has not been previously described. The mean age of this latter group 29±5.1 years was significantly older than the former (), suggesting a possible progressive nature of sub-mitral aneurysms. An intracardiac surgical approach was used in six patients and a combined intra and extracardiac approach in the remainder. There was no operative mortality. The mitral valve was initially repaired in eight patients. Failure of closure of the aneurysm necessitating reoperation occurred in four patients (33.3%). An understanding of the inter-relationship between the aneurysm and mitral valve is essential for successful surgical repair. Histology of the aneurysm tissue showed rheumatic heart disease in two patients and tuberculosis in two patients. Hence, although sub-valvar aneurysms are thought to be congenital, a third of our patients had evidence of co-existent rheumatic heart disease or tuberculosis.

Key Words: Heart valve; Mitral valve; Ventricular aneurysm; Submitral aneurysm; Surgical repair

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Sai Krishna, P. V. N. Kumar, N. K. Panigrahi, and K. Suman Submitral aneurysm with left atrial communication Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., September 1, 2007; 32(3): 547 - 549. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]