Mitral stenosis reversed by medical treatment for heart failure.

It is reported that functional mitral stenosis frequently develops after ring annuloplasty for ischemic mitral regurgitation. The mechanism is a combination of annular size reduction by surgery and diastolic mitral valve tethering, restricting the anterior leaflet opening due to posteriorly displaced papillary muscles with left ventricular dilatation. We report the case of a 57-year-old man who had a history of successful mitral valve plasty for degenerative mitral regurgitation. Four years later he developed heart failure, severe hypertension, mild mitral regurgitation, and significant mitral stenosis, which were reversed by aggressive medical treatment for heart failure. (C) 2013 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons