It is preliminarily demonstrated that MV-TEER guided solely by TEE is safe and effective, and patients have favorable midterm outcomes.
Mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair was successfully performed under sole TEE guidance in all 46 patients.
Clinical event rates during follow-up were low, with a 1-year heart failure rehospitalization rate of 20%, one death, and no repeat mitral valve intervention.
Left ventricular size decreased significantly at 1 year after the procedure.
Left ventricular ejection fraction improved significantly at 1 year.
At 1 year, residual mitral regurgitation was grade 3+ in only 5 patients; the rest had less than grade 3+.
Functional status improved: most patients were in NYHA class I or II at 1 year, and 6-minute walk distance increased significantly.
The authors concluded that MV-TEER guided solely by TEE is safe and effective with favorable midterm outcomes, on a preliminary basis.
This study looked at 46 patients with a leaking mitral valve (mitral regurgitation) who had a catheter-based repair that clips the valve leaflets together. In this series, the procedure was guided only by an ultrasound probe placed in the esophagus (transesophageal echocardiography), rather than with additional imaging such as X-ray fluoroscopy. The researchers reviewed records from one hospital in China for patients treated between January 2023 and January 2024 and followed them for a median of about 16 months. The procedure was completed successfully in all 46 patients. About a year later, patients' hearts had shrunk somewhat toward more normal size, pumping function had improved (ejection fraction rose from about 45% to about 52%), and patients could walk farther in six minutes (from about 298 to 375 meters). Most patients were in the mildest symptom classes, and only five had significant leftover leakage. About 20% were rehospitalized for heart failure within a year, one patient died of a dangerous heart rhythm problem, and nobody needed a repeat valve procedure. This research suggests that ultrasound-only guidance may be a workable approach for this procedure. However, the study was small, retrospective, from a single center, and had no comparison group, so the authors describe the findings as preliminary. Larger studies comparing this approach with standard imaging would be needed to confirm these results.
Xing W, Han Y, Zhang Y, Han G, Sun Z, Ben L, et al.. (2026). [Midterm outcomes of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair mitral valve guided solely by transesophageal echocardiography].. Zhonghua xin xue guan bing za zhi. https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.cn112148-20260901-00550