BACKGROUND
In a randomized trial comparing mitral-valve repair with mitral-valve replacement in
patients with severe ischemic mitral regurgitation, we found no significant difference
in the left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI), survival, or adverse events
at 1 year after surgery. However, patients in the repair group had significantly more
recurrences of moderate or severe mitral regurgitation. We now report the 2-year outcomes
of this trial.
METHODS
We randomly assigned 251 patients to mitral-valve repair or replacement. Patients were
followed for 2 years, and clinical and echocardiographic outcomes were assessed.
RESULTS
Among surviving patients, the mean (±SD) 2-year LVESVI was 52.6±27.7 ml per square
meter of body-surface area with mitral-valve repair and 60.6±39.0 ml per square meter
with mitral-valve replacement (mean changes from baseline, −9.0 ml per square meter
and −6.5 ml per square meter, respectively). Two-year mortality was 19.0% in the repair
group and 23.2% in the replacement group (hazard ratio in the repair group, 0.79;
95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 1.35; P = 0.39). The rank-based assessment of LVESVI
at 2 years (incorporating deaths) showed no significant between-group difference (z
score = −1.32, P = 0.19). The rate of recurrence of moderate or severe mitral regurgitation
over 2 years was higher in the repair group than in the replacement group (58.8%
vs. 3.8%, P