Relationship between left ventricular morphology and postoperative cardiac function following valve replacement for mitral stenosis.

The left ventricular myocardium excised from 14 patients who had mitral stenosis and who underwent mitral valve replacement was examined, and myocardial fibrosis was quantitated in relation to cardiac function. Conventional mitral valve replacement was performed with cold potassium-induced cardioplegia associated with systemic hypothermia (28° C rectal temperature) and topical cooling. All 14 patients had perivascular fibrosis; the amounts ranged from 16% to 54% of the whole tissue excised. The mean left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI) determined by M-mode echocardiography increased significantly (p