Background and aim of the study: Mitral repair is now as the treatement of choice in patients suffering mitral regurgitation due to mitral valve prolapse or flail. However, mitral valve repair demands the mitral valve morphology being feasible for repair. The study aims at evaluating transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic features in consecutive patients with mitral valve prolapse or flail undergoing surgical repair at Hue Central Hospital. The correlation between preoperative and intraoperative echocardiographic features and surgical findings in these patients. These echocardiographic data may predict the surgical outcome. Methods: From December 2010 to January 2013, 73 patients (37 men, 36 women; average age 37.5) were recruited into the study. All patients had degenerative mitral valve disease causing important regurgitation and underwent systematic preoperative transthoracic echocardiography, preoperative and intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography for delineation of six segments (scallops) of anterior and posterior leaflets. Results: Among 73 patients, 64 patients were in fibroelastic deficiency (87.7%) and 9 patients suffered Barlow disease (12.3%). Mitral valve repair was performed in 52 patients (71.2%) and mitral replacement was performed in 21 patients (28.8%). All 52 mitral valve repair (81.3%) and 12 mitral valve replacement (18.7%) was performed in fibroelastic deficiency patients. All 9 Barlow patients must undergo mitral valve replacement (100%). A prolapse or flail of mitral valve in 73 patients was documented by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography and confirmed on surgical inspection. Accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography was (89.0%) and accuracy of transesophageal echocardiography was (91.8%) in identifying mitral valve segments prolapse or flail. Success rate of mitral valve repair was (98.0%) in prolapse of 1 or 2 segments, but was low (36.0%) in prolapse > 3 segments. Success rate of mitral valve repair was (96.6%) in prolapse of posterior leaflet, but was (63.6%) in prolapse anterior leaflet or bileaflet. Conclusion: - Mitral valve repair was favorable in fibroelastic deficiency patients, but difficult in Barlow patients. - Accuracy of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography was high in identifying mitral valve segments prolapse or flail. - Success rate of mitral valve repair was high in prolapse of 1 or 2 segments. - Success rate of mitral valve repair was high in in prolapse of posterior leaflet. Key words: Mitral repair, echocardiography, degenerative, Barlow, fibroelastic deficiency, prolapse, flail
