Mitral valve regurgitation is a pathology affecting the left atrioventricular valve, conditioning the loss of the normal unidirectionality of the atrioventricular flow and therefore volumetric and pressure overload of the left heart chambers. In industrialized countries, the most common etiology of mitral regurgitation is degenerative mitral disease.

Mitral valve repair surgery represents the gold standard for the treatment of severe degenerative mitral regurgitation. The expected optimal result would be the absence of residual post-procedural mitral regurgitation, even if it is not uncommon to obtain a valve with residual regurgitation of a mild degree. In some cases, for various reasons (technical difficulties, long aortic clamping time, advanced age, high pre-operative surgical risk), a suboptimal result is accepted, i.e. a post-procedural residual mitral regurgitation of even a moderate degree ( 0, 1+, or 2+/4+).

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the late clinical and echocardiographic implications of suboptimal mitral valve repair with a paired-data cohort study

Inclusion Criteria:

• Study group:
• presence of severe degenerative mitral regurgitation treated by mitral valve repair between 2006 and 2013;
• presence of moderate residual mitral regurgitation at discharge.
• Control group:
• presence of severe degenerative mitral regurgitation treated by mitral valve repair between 2006 and 2013;
• presence of residual mitral regurgitation of at least mild grade at discharge.

Exclusion Criteria:

• none

Patients who underwent surgical mitral valve repair. Patients of study (Suboptimal) group were discharged with a 2+ or more residual mitral regurgitation, patients in control group (Optimal) were discharged with a 1+ or less residual mitral regurgitation