Does early surgical intervention improve left ventricular mass regression after mitral valve repair for leaflet prolapse?

BackgroundLeft ventricular hypertrophy is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. It is unclear whether hypertrophy caused by severe chronic mitral regurgitation regresses after mitral valve repair and, if so, which factors promote reverse remodeling and influence its prognostic significance.MethodsBetween March 1995 and December 2005, 2589 patients had mitral valve repair. Five hundred thirty patients (346 of whom were male) underwent isolated repair for leaflet prolapse and had echocardiographic data available from which the left ventricular mass index could be calculated. Concomitant preoperative tricuspid valve regurgitation was more than mild in 95 (18%) patients. Those with preoperative atrial fibrillation and other cardiac pathologies necessitating intracardiac repair were not included.ResultsSignificant regression of left ventricular mass index occurred during the first 3 years (−28 g/m2, P