Repair of left atrioventricular valve cleft defects with patch augmentation.

Operations for left atrioventricular valve insufficiency after repair of an atrioventricular septal defect can be challenging. Repair techniques largely depend on closure of the residual cleft in the anterior leaflet in conjunction with a posterior annuloplasty. Profound deficiencies in anterior leaflet tissue can make primary cleft closure impractical. A simplified technique, in which cleft closure is supported by triangular-shaped patch material, is presented along with results in 13 patients.