Francisco Gregori

Cox maze operation without cryoablation for the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND From August 1993 to May 1994, 20 patients (mean age, 43 years) with atrial fibrillation underwent the maze operation without cryoablation. Ten patients had mitral stenosis, 5 had mitral insufficiency, and 5 had a mixed mitral lesion. The mean left atrial diameter as measured on echocardiograms was 6.1 cm. The cause was rheumatic in 17 patients (85%) and degenerative in 3 (15%). Seven patients had had previous episodes of thromboembolism. METHODS Mitral valvuloplasty was performed on 7 patients, mitral commissurotomy on 4, and mitral valve replacement on 9. Thrombi were found in the left atrium of 7 patients and also in the right atrium in 2. The mean cross-clamp time was 73 minutes (range, 52 to 108 minutes). RESULTS Patients were discharged from the hospital in good condition. Hemodynamic studies and Doppler echocardiograms showed significant reduction in the left atrial diameter (mean diameter, 4.9 cm; p < 0.01) in 18 patients. The two-channel Holter monitor showed sinus rhythm in 15 patients, atrial ectopic rhythm in 4, and atrial fibrillation in 1. Eleven patients (55%) experienced atrial fibrillation (9 in the first 3 months postoperatively), which was reversed with quinidine. Ninety percent of patients had development of an effective, synchronous, atrial systole. Six to 15 months postoperatively (average follow-up, 10 months), all patients were in functional class I, and 18 were not on a regimen of antiarrhythmic medication. CONCLUSIONS This simplification of the maze operation has been demonstrated to be an effective alternative for the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation.

Avaliação ecocardiográfica em pacientes submetidos à substituição de cordas tendíneas rotas

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate, using echocardiography, the functioning of the mitral valve apparatus in patients submitted to standardized bovine pericardium chordae implantation to substitute ruptured chordae tendineae or elongated chordae with a significant degree of thinning. METHOD: Standardized bovine pericardium chordae were implanted in 23 patients with mitral valve insufficiency due to ruptured or elongated chordae with significant thinning. The ages of the patients varied from 23 to 84 years old (mean 62 years old). The most common cause was fibroelastic degeneration affecting 20 (87.0%) patients. The standardized bovine pericardium chordae were manufactured in sets connected at both ends by two polyester-reinforced rods thereby forming a single block. The bovine pericardium chordae measure 2 mm wide with 3 mm between the chordae. The sets of bovine pericardium chordae are produced in lengths varying from 20 to 35 mm. In 17 (73.9%) patients bovine pericardium chordae were implanted in the posterior cusp and in 6 (26.1%) in the anterior cusp. All the patients were evaluated in the postoperative period by echocardiography after a mean follow-up of six months. RESULTS: The echocardiography in the postoperative period demonstrated an absence of reflux in 11 (47.8%) patients, slight reflux in 8 (34.8%) and slight to moderate reflux in 3 (13.0%). The opening and mobility of the mitral valve was normal in the 22 surviving patients. CONCLUSION: The echocardiography demonstrated good functioning of the mitral valve apparatus in patients submitted to the implantation of standardized bovine pericardium chordae to substitute ruptured chordae tendineae or elongated chordae with a significant degree of thinning.OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate, using echocardiography, the functioning of the mitral valve apparatus in patients submitted to standardized bovine pericardium chordae implantation to substitute ruptured chordae tendineae or elongated chordae with a significant degree of thinning. METHOD Standardized bovine pericardium chordae were implanted in 23 patients with mitral valve insufficiency due to ruptured or elongated chordae with significant thinning. The ages of the patients varied from 23 to 84 years old (mean 62 years old). The most common cause was fibroelastic degeneration affecting 20 (87.0%) patients. The standardized bovine pericardium chordae were manufactured in sets connected at both ends by two polyester-reinforced rods thereby forming a single block. The bovine pericardium chordae measure 2 mm wide with 3 mm between the chordae. The sets of bovine pericardium chordae are produced in lengths varying from 20 to 35 mm. In 17 (73.9%) patients bovine pericardium chordae were implanted in the posterior cusp and in 6 (26.1%) in the anterior cusp. All the patients were evaluated in the postoperative period by echocardiography after a mean follow-up of six months. RESULTS The echocardiography in the postoperative period demonstrated an absence of reflux in 11 (47.8%) patients, slight reflux in 8 (34.8%) and slight to moderate reflux in 3 (13.0%). The opening and mobility of the mitral valve was normal in the 22 surviving patients. CONCLUSION The echocardiography demonstrated good functioning of the mitral valve apparatus in patients submitted to the implantation of standardized bovine pericardium chordae to substitute ruptured chordae tendineae or elongated chordae with a significant degree of thinning.

Partial tricuspid valve transfer for repair of mitral insufficiency due to ruptured chordae tendineae

BACKGROUND A new technique is suggested for the reconstructive surgical treatment of mitral regurgitation. It involves partial transfer of the tricuspid valve of the patient to the mitral valve, in order to provide chordae to correct anterior leaflet prolapse of the mitral valve, secondary to rupture of the chordae tendineae. METHODS From January 1991 to May 1997, 20 patients with mitral insufficiency due to rupture of the chordae were operated on. The prevailing cause was myxomatous degeneration (70%). Patients were in New York Heart Association functional class III and IV. RESULTS There were no hospital deaths. Two patients were reoperated on. Eighteen patients (90%) are alive with their own valves (class I and II). Doppler echocardiogram mean values were: ejection fraction, 0.65; left atrial diameter, 4.2 cm; mitral area, 2.4 cm2; mitral transvalvular gradient, 3.3 mm Hg. No regurgitation or mild regurgitation was observed in 16 (94.1%) of the 17 cases evaluated. Mean tricuspid valvular area was 3.3 cm2. In all cases, no tricuspid regurgitation was present or it was mild. CONCLUSIONS Partial transfer of the tricuspid valve to the mitral valve is an effective procedure for the surgical treatment of mitral valve insufficiency secondary to ruptured chordae tendineae of the anterior leaflet.

Técnica de Cox sem crioablação para tratamento cirúrgico da fibrilação atrial

Six patients with atrial fibrillation were submitted to maze operation (Cox) without crioablation. Four patients had also mitral stenosis, one had mitral insufficiency and one mitral insufficiency plus mitral stenosis. The mean left atrium diameter was 6.0 cm (5-7.3) in the preoperative ecodopplercardiogram. The ethiology was rheumatic in all but one patient. Conservative mitral valve surgery was performed in five patients and mitral valve replacement in one. Thrombosis of the left atrium was present in four patients. The mean cross-clamping time was 91 minutes (80-108). In the operating room, sinus rhythm was observed in two patients and junctional rhythm in four. In the first postoperative day all patients were in junctional rhthminfour. In the firstpostoperative day all patients were in junctional rhythm. The Holter (24 hours) in the eighteeth postoperative day showed sinus rhythm in five and atrial ectopic rhythm in one. The hemodynamic data and the ecodoppler showed synchronic left atrial contraction in all but one patient and a mean left atrium diameter of 4.8 cm (3.7-5.2). The patients discharged from hospital (8-27 days) are in excellent conditions.

Premolded bovine pericardial chords for replacement of ruptured or elongated chordae tendineae.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess by Doppler echocardiography (ECO) the functioning of the mitral valve apparatus in patients who have undergone implantation of standardized bovine pericardium chordae (SBPC) for replacement of ruptured or elongated chordae tendineae with significant thinning. METHODS SBPC were implanted in 31 patients who had mitral insufficiency due to rupture of chordae tendinae or elongated chordae with significant thinning. Patient ages ranged from 19 to 85 years (mean of 58 years). The most frequent cause of mitral insufficiency was fibroelastic degeneration in 25 patients (80.6%). The SBPC were fashioned as a set, joined at their extremities by 2 polyester-reinforced rods forming a monobloc. The SBPC were 2-mm wide and were positioned parallel to one another at a distance of 3 mm. Each set of SBPC had a corresponding measurer, and their length ranged from 20 to 35 mm. In 21 patients (67.7%) the SBPC were implanted in the posterior leaflet and in 10 patients (32.3%) in the anterior leaflet (in 2 patients concurrently in the anterior and posterior leaflets). All patients were assessed by ECO postoperatively, with a 20-month mean follow-up time (range 6-45 months). RESULTS One patient (3.2%) died of pulmonary embolism during the early postoperative period. Postoperative ECO showed absence of mitral regurgitation in 17 patients (54.8%), mild regurgitation in 9 (29.0%), and mild-to-moderate regurgitation in 4 (12.9%). Opening and mobility of the mitral valve were normal in the 30 surviving patients. CONCLUSION The ECO revealed good functionality of the mitral valve apparatus with appropriate leaflet coaptation in patients who had undergone implantation of SBPC for replacement of ruptured or elongated and thinned chordae. A longer follow-up is required to assess absence of calcification and/or degeneration of the SBPC.

Heart Transplant in a Patient with Complete Absence of the Pericardium

We report the case of a heart transplant in which the recipient patient had a total congenital absence of the pericardium. Associated with this, we found a major disproportion between the size of the recipients mediastinal cavity and the size of the donors heart. To prevent twisting of the great arteries, we placed the graft on the left diaphragm muscle and beneath the left lung, which resulted in an uneventful early and late postoperative course.

Correção cirúrgica simultânea da fibrilação atrial e da insuficiência mitral em criança

A combined mitral reconstructive surgery and Cox-maze operation without cryoablagao was performed in a 12-year-old female patient for the correction of a rheumatic mitral insufficiency and chronic atrial fibrillation. One year postoperative the patient was assymptomatic, in sinusal rhythm and no murmurs were observed. The Doppler echocardiogram showed an important reduction of the left atrial diameter and the cardiac catheterism confirmed an effective atrial systole.

Modified technique for total cavopulmonary connection

The laterolateral anastomosis between the superior vena cava and the pulmonary artery trunk is presented as a modified technique for total cavopulmonary connection. This procedure was successfully performed on a 9-year-old girl, associated with the exclusion of the right atrium, for the treatment of tricuspid atresia and transposition of the great arteries.

Autotransplante de cordas tendíneas: nova técnica para o tratamento cirúrgico da insuficiência mitral por rotura de cordas tendíneas da cúspide anterior

One of the most frequent causes of mitral valve prolapse is rupture of the chordae tendineae. Several techniques have been used to correct severe mitral regurgitation. However, mitral valve replacement is the principal surgical approach to it. We describe a technique used in four patients with marked mitral regurgitation due to ruptured chordae tendineae of the anterior leaflet. We have grafted chordae tendineae from the tricuspid valve onto the mitral valve. In the first and fourth case we removed part of the anterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve, together with chordae tendineae and part of the papillary muscle. In the other two cases we removed the posterior leaflet, together with its chordae tendinease and papillarly muscle. In the first and fourth cases the tricuspid valve was repaired. In the other two cases it was turned into bicuspid valve by means of an annular plication. The first extremity of the graft to be sutured was the papillary muscle, followed by the leaflet. Studies carried out 15, 11, 2 and 1 month, postoperatively, showed that both valves, i. e., mitral and tricuspid, were competent and the patients were asymptomatic. In spite of our limited experience, we believe, this technique is a sensible alternative to mitral valve replacement.

Tratamento cirúrgico da insuficiência mitral em crianças: dez anos de técnicas reparadoras

From April 1979 through January 1989, 71 patients with mitral insufficiency were surgically treated, 53 of them (74,6%) submitted to valvuloplasty. From this group 21 patients had associated mitral estenosis. Rheumatic fever was the major cause of the mitral lesions (79,2%). All patients, but 3, were situated in funcional class III and IV (NYHA). Anuloplasty (Carpentier ring and Gregori-IMC) were made associated to plastic procedures at the leaflet and the subvalvar set. In the postoperative period, we observed: no hospital mortality; early postoperative evolution was better in patients subjected to surgery in the period from 84 through 89, in comparison to the anterior period (79-83); reoperation index very acceptable at the late postoperative (5,7%); satisfactory clinical and hemodynamic late evolution; better evolution in the group of patients in the functional class postoperative II and III; better evolution in the group of patients with mitral insufficiency without associated stenosis.