Abstract
A 62-year-old man was admitted because of cardiac failure caused by mitral valve regurgitation. After his cardiac and general conditions had been evaluated, he underwent an operation. Some of chordae tendineae of both leaflets were ruptured and both leaflets had deformities. Since his mitral valve could not be repaired, it was replaced with a 29mm Hancock II bioprosthesis. Two weeks after operation, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and left ventriculography revealed that one of the three leaflets of the prosthesis was fixed in the closed position, and mild mitral valve stenosis without regurgitation was recognized. But he had no complaints and there were no other major disorders. He was observed every 2 weeks as an outpatient. Six months after operation, TEE showed good opening and closing of all 3 leaflets and showed no major abnormalities, although the cause of the failure was unknown. He is healthy 2 years after operation, but is being observed carefully.
