The postoperative course was quite smooth in most patients undergoing valve repair. Six patients required re-exploration for bleeding within 24 hours of the operation, 3 needed prolonged (>48 hours) ventilatory and inotropic support, and 2 required pacemaker implantation within the hospital stay either for sick sinus syndrome (1 patient) or permanent atrioventricular block (1 patient). Systolic anterior motion of the anterior leaflet was never detected with echocardiography. After discharge, few morbid events were observed among hospital survivors. Three patients had new onset of congestive heart failure with a well-functioning mitral valve, 2 patients had endocarditis causing disruption of the mitral reconstruction and requiring reoperation, 1 patient had major gastrointestinal bleeding, and 1 patient experienced a cerebrovascular accident resulting from thromboembolism.