We hypothesized that surgical annuloplasty for ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR) that displaces the posterior annulus anteriorly can potentially augment posterior leaflet (PML) tethering, leading to persistent MR. Relationships between leaflet configurations and persistent ischemic MR after the annuloplasty were investigated.
Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima City, 890-8520, Japan.