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The following is a summary of “Mitral valve repair with resection and non-resection techniques in Barlow’s disease: A multi-center study,” published in the October 2024 issue of Cardiology by Tomšič et al.  

Several mitral valve repair methods are available today. Non-resection techniques using only Gore-Tex® neochords and annuloplasty have gained popularity, but the effectiveness of these techniques in Barlow’s disease, known for large, floppy leaflets, is still uncertain.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study assessing the effectiveness of non-resection mitral valve repair techniques in patients with Barlow’s disease.   

They selected consecutive patients who had mitral valve repair for Barlow’s disease between 2011 and 2019, eligible for both resection and non-resection techniques. The study focused on overall survival, freedom from mitral valve reintervention, and regurgitation recurrence as critical outcomes.  

The results showed that of 209 patients, 135 (65%) had mitral valve repair with resection and 74 (35%) without. An early reoperation occurred in the resection group. After 6.1 (IQR: 3.9-8.5) years, overall survival and freedom from mitral valve reintervention were similar (86.1%, 95% CI: 78.5–93.7% vs. 83.0%, 95% CI: 71.6–94.4%, P=0.20). Inverse probability-of-treatment weighting adjusted analysis demonstrated no significant difference between groups (HR 0.535, 95% CI: 0.212–1.349, P=0.20). Cox regression showed no impact of the repair technique on regurgitation recurrence.   

Investigators concluded that mid-term outcomes for mitral valve repair in Barlow’s disease were excellent, with few reinterventions needed. Non-resection techniques performed just as well as the traditional resection methods during this period.  

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016752732401009X