Surgical treatment of endomyocardial fibrosis with preservation of mitral valve.

A 48-year-old Kenyan African, who presented with a history of coronary and cerebral embolism, was found to have endomyocardial fibrosis of the left ventricle. It proved possible to remove all diseased tissue at operation, and at the same time to preserve the mitral valve. It is important to inspect the mitral valve from both the atrial and ventricular aspects so that the valve can be spared, if it is not involved in the disease process. The choice of transatrial of transventricular surgical approach for the removal of pathological tissue may depend on whether or not the mitral valve requires replacement.