Impact of mitral valve repair on left atrial fibrosis in severe mitral valve regurgitation patients: a 3D LGE pilot follow-up study.

Timing of mitral valve repair (MVR) surgery in mitral valve regurgitation (MR) patients remains a subject of debate. Assessment of left atrial (LA) fibrosis might aid to improve clinical management of these patients. We assessed LA fibrosis extent using 3-dimensional late gadolinium enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging prior to and after MVR surgery in MR patients (n=6). Our data demonstrates a decrease of LA volume, while a concomitant increase in LA fibrosis was observed. Further study is required to determine the potential relation between LA fibrosis, pre- and post-operative changes and long-term clinical outcome.