Repeated mitral valve replacement in the growing child with congenital mitral valve disease.

The successful second-replacement of mitral valve prostheses in two children, age 5 and 9 years, is reported. In one, a parachute mitral valve deformity was first corrected at the age of 10 months by the small-size 00 Starr-Edwards prosthesis. The second child had mitral valve disease caused by Marfan's syndrome 1; the valve was initially replaced at the age of 3 years by a size 0 Starr-Edwards prosthesis. For both patients, in the period between the two interventions, the left ventricle had grown in size and the mitral anulus was not a limiting factor in the insertion of a larger prosthesis of the Björk-Shiley type. Follow-up periods of 1 and 6 years, respectively, confirm excellent clinical results. Problems concerning valve replacements in pediatric patients are discussed.