Accessory mitral valve is an uncommon cause of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in the adult patient. 1 Excisional therapy has traditionally been performed through the proximal aorta by using a median sternotomy. We report the excision of an obstructive accessory mitral leaflet through
Clinical Summary:
The clinical characteristics of 3 patients with left atrial masses
operated on between September 2003 and May 2004 are presented
in Table 1. No patient had preoperative embolic phenomena.
The value of a mitral valve operation is directly related to the efficacy of the procedure performed on the valve and inversely related to the invasiveness necessary to achieve it. This value can be maximized if a high rate of successful valve repairs can be achieved with a least invasive approach.