Redo mitral valve surgery: morphological features

Although MV repair is the preferred treatment for mitral regurgitation, failure of repair may occur in patients at the time of surgery or over varying periods after surgery. The pathological findings following repair include IE, fibrosis, calcification, and nodular thickening at and around the operative site, thickening and stiffening of the synthetic chordae tendinae due to tissue overgrowth, rupture of chordae tendinae, and progression of acquired degenerative disease.