Does watchful waiting provide safe outcomes in asymptomatic patients with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation?
Watchful waiting is a safe management strategy for asymptomatic severe degenerative mitral regurgitation, provided careful follow-up is maintained.
Asymptomatic patients with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation can be safely followed up until either symptoms occur or currently recommended cutoff values for LV size, LV function, or pulmonary hypertension are reached. This management strategy is associated with good perioperative and postoperative outcome but requires careful follow-up.
Rosenhek et al. (Mon,) studied this question.