Introduction
Mitral valve repair is a widely accepted surgical approach for treatment
of infective endocarditis of the mitral valve [1]. However, mitral
valve replacement is sometimes required for profoundly extensive and
destructive active infective endocarditis of the mitral valve because of
the difficulty of valve reconstruction. In our hospital, extensive
mitral valve reconstruction with fresh autologous pericardium and
artificial chordae has been performed in such cases. This technique is
used especially in young patients to avoid mechanical valve replacement,
which necessitates lifelong anticoagulation with a vitamin K antagonist
to prevent stroke and systemic embolization. In this procedure, it is
crucial to clarify the long-term surgical outcome because the durability
and future performance of the mitral leaflet after extensive
reconstruction using fresh autologous pericardium have not been
established. We herein report the surgical results of this procedure
with a particular focus on the long-term outcome.