Reconsiderations of indications for open mitral commissurotomy based on pathologic features of the stenosed mitral valve. A fourteen-year follow-up study in 347 consecutive patients.

From January 1972 to December 1984, 347 consecutive patients underwent open mitral commissurotomy for mitral stenosis. Commissurotomy was performed in 86% of 404 patients undergoing mitral valve operations for stenosis during the same period. These 347 patients had three different types of mitral stenosis: type I, mobile cusps without subvalvular changes (43 patients); type II, thickened cusps with subvalvular changes (210 patients); type III, rigid cusps with severe subvalvular changes (94 patients). Concomitant mild mitral regurgitation was seen in 87 patients (25.1%) and mild to moderate valve calcification in 61 patients (17.6%). There were eight early deaths (2.3%) and 12 late deaths (3.5%), yielding an actuarial survival rate of 94.6% (excluding early deaths) 14 years after operation. There were 17 reoperations (5.0%) The actuarial rates of freedom from reoperation were as follows: 83.8% at 14 years for the entire series; 73.5% for type I stenosis; 88.9% for type II; 84.0% for type III; 91.7% for mitral stenosis with calcification; 82.6% for stenosis without calcification; 90.6% for pure mitral stenosis; and 52.5% for stenosis combined with regurgitation (p less than 0.05). Postoperative effective mitral valve areas calculated according to the hydraulic formula were 2.52 cm2 (mean) at rest and 3.06 cm2 during exercise in six patients with type I stenosis, 2.21 and 2.48 cm2, respectively, in 10 with type II, and 1.85 and 1.87 cm2, respectively, in 14 with type III. Our data clearly demonstrated that open mitral commissurotomy provided excellent long-term results with acceptable valve function and a low incidence of reoperation in patients with pure mitral stenosis not combined with regurgitation, even when associated with severe subvalvular changes with or without mild to moderate valve calcification.