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The conventional treatment of mitral insufficiency, due to posterior leaflet prolapse, is quadrangular resection. This technique sacrifices a great amount of valve tissue resulting in leaflet stiffness and altered annular geometry. To avoid such problems we performed a small triangular leaflet resection sparing the second-order chordae, a folding plasty, implantation of artificial chordae, and annuloplasty. Fourteen patients underwent this procedure. No hospital death and no repair failure were observed. Echocardiography at 12 months on 12 patients showed trivial incompetence in three and mild in one and an overall improvement of end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters. Our technique has the main objectives of sparing second-order chordae and subvalvular apparatus in order to preserve mobility of the posterior mitral leaflet, left ventricular geometry, and function. Preliminary results are encouraging.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is becoming a gold standard in acute heart failure, not responsive to inotrops and intra-aortic balloon contrapulsation. This diffusion is due to the possibility to implant it through peripheral cannulation and to perform long-time assistance. Nevertheless, this technique implies some problems concerning inferior limb perfusion. It is widely accepted that arterial distal cannulation and perfusion of the limb is mandatory, especially for long periods of assistance; but the necessity to implant a distal venous drainage is still discussed. We would like to present our experience on peripheral ECMO where we could avoid venous distal drainage uneventfully.

Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) pseudoaneurysm is a rare but potentially lethal complication, mainly after aortic root endocarditis or surgery. Usually it originates from a dehiscence in the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa and it arises posteriorly to the aortic root. Due to these anatomical features, its imaging assessment is challenging and surgical repair requires complex procedures. An unusual case of LVOT pseudoaneurysm is described. It was detected by transthoracic ecocardiography 7 months after aortic root replacement for acute endocarditis. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) confirmed the presence of a pouch located between the aortic root and the right atrium. Computed tomography also detected the origin of the pseudoaneurysm from the muscular interventricular septum of the LVOT, rather below the aortic valve plane. It was repaired with an extracardiac surgical approach, sparing the aortic root bioprosthesis previously implanted. The high-resolution three-dimensional details provided by the preoperative MDCT allowed us to plan a simple and effective surgical strategy.

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Repair of posterior left ventricular ischemic aneurysms implies an extracardiac approach to reshape the ventricular geometry frequently associated with mitral surgery. A transatrial technique was described for lesions following mitral surgery or for subvalvular idiopathic cases. A transmitral approach was used for ischemic or traumatic pseudoaneurysm. We describe a case of postinfarction posterior true aneurysm with associated mitral incompetence. Both lesions were treated through an intracardiac approach. The posterior mitral leaflet was detached posteriorly to close the aneurysm with a patch, and the valve replaced sparing all subvalvular apparatus. This technique seems to be safe and allows to treat both lesions avoiding ventriculotomy.

Carney complex (CNC) is an inherited autosomal dominant disorder associated with multiple neoplasms. Myxomas associated with CNC differ from their sporadic forms because the former usually develop at a younger age and they may be multicentric and have a tendency to recur. Furthermore, their localization may be atypical. We report the case of a 57-year-old man, with a huge right atrial myxoma obstructing the tricuspid valve orifice. A diagnosis of CNC was established by genetic analysis. The importance of early diagnosis and an adequate follow-up is emphasized.