The appropriate length of the artificial chordae is crucial for the proper functioning of the mitral valve after chordal replacement. In the technique described here, the artificial chordae are assembled during surgery and their lengths fixed according to the individual anatomy; they are then first attached to the margin of the prolapsed leaflet and subsequently to the papillary muscle. This ensures that the ultimate length of the artificial chordae is determined during fixation at the papillary muscle and not during knotting at leaflet level.
Mitral valve insufficiency - mitral valve repair - artificial chordae
