SURGICAL TREATMENT OF MITRAL STENOSIS
- 1 September 1932
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in Archives of Surgery
- Vol. 25 (3) , 555-570
- https://doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1932.01160210124009
Abstract
The technical difficulties and hazards of an operative procedure on the heart are great. Medical therapy in chronic cardiac valvular disease offers nothing but supportive and palliative treatment without hope of permanent relief. Consequently the surgical treatment of mitral stenosis presents a most fascinating and interesting problem to both surgeon and physician. The rationale for the procedure has been based on the assumption that mitral insufficiency is functionally a less damaging lesion than mitral stenosis. With this hypothesis as a major premise, the first operation of election on the mitral valve was performed by Dr. Elliott C. Cutler1in May, 1923. A tenotome was inserted into the mitral orifice through the left ventricle, and an attempt was made to incise each segment of the obstructing ring. The patient recovered and was definitely improved until the onset of a terminal illness four and one-half years later. After this first intrepidKeywords
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