Mitral Valve Replacement Adopting Chimney Technique in Mitral Insufficiency And Extensive Mitral Annular Calcification: A Case Report.

Extensive and serious mitral annular calcification represents a troublesome obstacle in intracardiac mitral valve replacement due to time-consuming requirements and the potential of decalcification-associated complications. We report the case of a high-risk patient with extremely severe mitral insufficiency and difficult-to-debride annular calcification who received mitral replacement using a chimney technique. This approach enabled not only the minimization of mitral calcification debridement but also the reduction of surgery time. Consequently, the surgery was successful with a great postoperative outcome. Thus, this technique is a safe and feasible option to deal with intractable mitral annular calcification during mitral valve surgery.