Introduction
Mitral valve disease (MVD) is a common heart disease caused by rheumatic
fever in most developing countries. For such diseases with clear
indications, the most effective treatment is mitral valve surgery
(repair, commissural incision, or valve replacement) [1]. However,
the aortic valve disease (AVD) is present in up to 40% of patients with
rheumatic MVD [2], and some patients who have undergone mitral valve
surgery will develop AVD over time and may even need reoperation.
Preoperative AVD in these patients is often mild to moderate. Concerning
these patients, it has been controversial whether it is necessary to
perform aortic valve surgery while dealing with the mitral valve. Since
double valve replacement is more often associated with higher risk and
poorer long-term survival than either of the two valves alone [3-4].
The decision of a surgical plan is often made by the surgeon during the
operation. At present, there are few reports on the long-term outcomes
and influencing factors of the aortic valve after single mitral valve
surgery [5-8]. In this study, 144 patients who underwent mitral
valve surgery (except for simultaneous aortic valve surgery) in
Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical
University from January 2010 to December 2016 were analyzed
retrospectively. This study aimed to explore the predictors and to
formulate clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies for the long-term
progression of AVD after mitral valve surgery.