Assessment of mitral valve area by 3D planimetry after percutaneous mitral valve repair

Abstract Background Percutaneous mitral valve (MV) repair has become an effective therapeutic alternative to MV surgery in high-risk surgical patients with severe MR. Persistent pulmonary hypertension after mitral valve replacement has shown an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Improvement of pulmonary systolic arterial pressure (PSAP) post-MitraClip has been reported, however relative mitral stenosis may hamper this benefit. Few data is available regarding the best echocardiographic parameter to determine mitral stenosis after the procedure. Purpose To evaluate the correlation between the residual mitral valve area (MVA) by 3D planimetry, the pressure half time (PHT) and the transmitral gradient after percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral repair. Methods This is a single-center, retrospective study. We enrolled 88 consecutive patients who underwent a percutaneous MV repair with the MitraClip system between 2010 and 2020 at our tertiary university hospital, with eligibility evaluation by transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). All patients had moderate to severe (3+) or severe (4+) primary or secondary MR. Results The mean age was 76.2±10.4 years and 64.8% of the patients were male. Above 88% of patients were in New York Heart Association class III/IV. Baseline 3D planimetry MVA was 5.3±1.4cm2 and mean gradient pre-implantation was 1.8±0.8mmHg. After the procedure, MVA reduced to 2.9±0.8cm2 and mean gradient was 2.8±1.4mmHg. Both 3D planimetry and mean gradient were very significantly correlated (r −0.5; p