Mitral valve leak after repair

[Smiley2000]

I had my 6 weeks check-up today and was disappointed to see that I still have a bit of a leak after mitral valve-repair. What are the prognosis? Will it become a severe leak again??????????? My Cardio just said that we'll follow it up in 6 months time.

oh goody.

 

[catwoman]

What was the specific reason that sent you into surgery in March?

My husband had a repair done 1 year ago because of at least 1, maybe 2, chordae that had ruptured due to a car accident. Otherwise, the valve was in good condition, as were the other 3 valves. No resectioning of the leaflets was required, nor was there any degeneration of the leaflet tissue (that was the case with me). Because of this, John's repair more or less has a "lifetime guarantee" (my words, not the surgeon's).
John has a 1-year recheck with his surgeon tomorrow (May 13).
I'll run past Dr. Ryan about repaired valves leaking and will post that here.

 

[MikeHeim]

Don't know what your surgeon said, but it is EXTREMELY common to still have a small amount of leakage after a repair. The key is that it should be in the trace/trivial range and should not get any worse over time. I too, was surprised when I was told this at my two-month checkup, but have come to find out that it is not an issue. You may find out over time (as I have) that your amount of leakage drops to virtually nothing as your heart reshapes with the repaired valve.

 

[WayneGM]

I have "trace" leakage after my mitral valve repair. My Cardio says it is normal, and it is leaking less than many "normal" valves. It's not expected to increase over time.