NYMC Faculty Publications

“A Bridge-Over-The Bar”: A Novel Strategy to Prevent Paravalvular Regurgitation During Mitral Valve Replacement for Severe Mitral Annular Calcifications

Author Type(s)

Faculty

DOI

10.5761/atcs.nm.24-00081

Journal Title

Annals of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Department

Surgery

Keywords

mitral annular calcification, mitral valve replacement, paravalvular leak, periprosthetic mitral regurgitation

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Mitral annular calcifications have been known to increase complexity during mitral valve replacement (MVR). Standard procedure requires decalcification followed by reconstruction of the mitral annulus prior to placing the prosthesis. While this is the ideal technique, it is not feasible in every patient due to the associated risks. The mere attempt at valve replacement without proper annular decalcification has been associated with a high incidence of periprosthetic leak which complicates the postoperative course and has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. With the advances in transcatheter therapy, postoperative periprosthetic regurgitation can be managed with devices and primary transcatheter valve implantation could be alternative to standard valve replacement; however, these alternate strategies are not without its own limitations and drawbacks. In the current report, we present a novel strategy to be used in a select group of patients with severe but non-circumferential annular calcifications to prevent/minimize periprosthetic regurgitation during MVR. This involves placing a patch over the posteriorly located calcium bar, thus minimizing tension on the posterior suture line and contain any periprosthetic regurgitation if to develop. This modification has been performed in a total of nine cases with acceptable early results.

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