Butterfly resection is safe and avoids systolic anterior motion in posterior leaflet prolapse repair.

BACKGROUND: Quadrangular resection is a standard repair technique for prolapsing posterior leaflet; however, systolic anterior motion (SAM) sometimes occurs. Butterfly resection combines a triangular resection from the prolapsing edge and a reverse triangular resection to the annulus to remove redundancy, reduce leaflet height without annular plication, and minimize SAM. We assessed short-term and midterm outcomes and mitral leaflet configuration after repair vs quadrangular resection.
METHODS: Between 2002 and 2009, 53 patients underwent posterior leaflet resection with mitral annuloplasty, including quadrangular resection in 24 and butterfly resection in 29.
RESULTS: The butterfly group had a significantly larger mean ring size (29.0 vs 27.8 mm, p = 0.04). SAM occurred in 2 patients in the quadrangular group and in none in the butterfly group. SAM completely resolved in 1 patient after inotropes were weaned, but the other needed a mitral valve replacement. Predischarge echocardiography showed the butterfly group had a significantly larger anterior leaflet/posterior leaflet ratio (3.05 vs 1.53, p < 0.01) and greater length from the coaptation point to the septum (2.91 vs 2.50 cm, p = 0.02) than the quadrangular group. Measurements at 3 months showed that the differences between the two groups persisted. During follow-up, no patients died or needed reoperation for recurrence. Moderate mitral regurgitation occurred in 1 in the quadrangular group.
CONCLUSIONS: Butterfly resection can be safely performed without SAM and is durable in midterm follow-up. By echocardiography, this technique reduces the height of the posterior leaflet and shifts the coaptation point further away from the septum.