Cardiac autotransplantation and ex vivo surgical repair of giant left atrium: a case presentation

Background Chronic Mitral Valve disease is strongly associated with Left atrial enlargement; the condition has a high mortality risk. Clinical manifestations include atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, thromboembolic events, and in cases of Giant Left Atrium (GLA) and a distorted cardiac silhouette. Full sternotomy, conventional open-heart surgery, reductive atrioplasty and atrioventricular valve repair are required to resolve symptoms. However, these procedures can be complicated due to the posterior location of the GLA and concomitant right lateral protrusion. Cardiac autotransplantation is superior under these conditions; it provides improved visual access to the posterior atrial wall and mitral valve, hence, facilitates corrective surgical procedures. We aimed to assess the clinical outcome of patients undergoing cardiac autotransplantation as the primary treatment modality to resolve GLA. Moreover, we evaluated the procedural safety profile and technical feasibility.