A complex triple valve repair in a young rheumatic patient

Ital Heart J. 2003 Dec;4(12):884-7.

Abstract

We report a case of a 22-year-old Ethiopian female presenting with multiple rheumatic valve disease. She was admitted to hospital because of dyspnea at rest. She underwent open mitral commissurotomy associated with splitting of the postero-medial papillary muscle, aortic right-coronary-left coronary commissural resuspension with resection of fibrous tissue from the free-edge cusps and open tricuspid commissurotomy of all three commissures completed with chordal shortening of the anterior leaflet. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was asymptomatic without recurrence of symptoms at 2 months. Echocardiography confirmed the satisfactory outcome of the multiple repair with no residual insufficiency. Multiple repair is advisable for patients living in many areas of the Third World, where the safety of long-term anticoagulation cannot be assured.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aortic Valve / diagnostic imaging
  • Aortic Valve / pathology*
  • Aortic Valve / surgery*
  • Cardiopulmonary Bypass
  • Echocardiography
  • Echocardiography, Transesophageal
  • Female
  • Heart Valve Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Heart Valve Diseases / etiology
  • Heart Valve Diseases / surgery*
  • Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation*
  • Humans
  • Mitral Valve / diagnostic imaging
  • Mitral Valve / pathology*
  • Mitral Valve / surgery*
  • Rheumatic Heart Disease / complications
  • Rheumatic Heart Disease / diagnostic imaging
  • Rheumatic Heart Disease / surgery*
  • Tricuspid Valve / diagnostic imaging
  • Tricuspid Valve / pathology*
  • Tricuspid Valve / surgery*