A modified maze procedure performed only on the left atrium for chronic atrial fibrillation associated with mitral valve disease: report of a case.

We describe herein the successful treatment of a patient with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) associated with mitral valve stenosis and regurgitation, achieved by performing a modified maze procedure on the left atrium alone. The patient was a 51-year-old man who had suffered from intractable AF for 17 years, causing multiple cerebral emboli and palpitations. He had undergone open mitral commissurotomy and balloon commissurotomy 15 and 7 years ago, respectively. On admission, an echocardiogram revealed mitral valve restenosis and thrombosis in the left atrial appendage. Prosthetic valvular replacement was performed following isolation of all pulmonary veins with cryoablation to the posterior wall of the left atrium and excision of the left atrial appendage. Postoperatively, the AF disappeared and echocardiogram demonstrated a left atrial kick in the mitral valvular inflow without any evidence of thrombosis in the left atrium. Thus, we believe that our modified "left side only" maze procedure is a simple and efficient method for the treatment of chronic AF with mitral valve disease.