Current Concepts in Surgical Correction of Acquired Mitral Insufficiency.

SINCE the earliest reports,' 2 in 1957, of the successfult surgical correction of mitral insufficiency under direct vision, a vast amount of new knowledge, both experimental and clinical, has accumulated, and considerable progress has been made in the treatment of this cardiac defect. Much of this new knowledge was discussed at a conference on prosthetic valves3 in Chicago during September 1960, and, in the ensuing period, further experimental and clinical experience has been gained. In order to assess the efficacy of the many procedures now advocated for the treatment of this disease, the reports of recent investigations have been studied and the results are discussed in this paper.