Background: There is concern about the durability of mitral valve repair (MVr) for mitral regurgitation (MR) in Marfan patients due to limited long-term data. Furthermore, a detailed time course of changes in cardiac function after MVr in Marfan patients has not been reported. We examined repair techniques, postoperative cardiac function, and outcomes of MVr in Marfan patients.
Methods and results: We retrospectively reviewed 29 Marfan patients (mean [±SD] age 27.4±14.8 years) who underwent MVr at The University of Tokyo Hospital from 2010 to 2022. The mean follow-up period was 5.2±3.2 years. The causes of MR were isolated anterior leaflet prolapse in 25% of patients, isolated posterior leaflet prolapse in 11%, and bileaflet prolapse in 64%. Echocardiographic findings showed significant decreases in left ventricular (LV) diastolic and left atrial diameters 1 week after MVr. LV systolic diameter was significantly decreased 3 years after MVr, and LV ejection fraction initially declined before subsequently increasing. The in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were 0%. At 5 years, the overall survival rate was 94% and the rate of freedom from MR was 84%.
Conclusions: The mid- to long-term outcomes after MVr in Marfan patients were satisfactory, supporting the durability of MVr in these patients. Postoperative cardiac reverse remodeling occurred in a phased manner in Marfan patients, similar to that in patients with degenerative MR.
Keywords: Marfan syndrome; Mitral valve regurgitation; Mitral valve repair.