Intra-atrial Neomitral Ring Creation in the Presence of Severe Mitral Annulus Calcification.

Abstract

Severe mitral annulus calcifications significantly hinder surgical repair and replacement of the dysfunctional mitral valve. Herein, we present a novel surgical technique where we created an intra-atrial neomitral ring using a vascular Dacron graft in which a prosthetic valve was implanted. This approach is a simple alternative technique that can be used when anatomic prosthetic valve implantation is not feasible. Major assets of this approach are evasion of extensive debridement, implantation of an adequately sized prosthesis, and prosthetic material availability.