Mitral valve surgery has evolved over 4 decades from one based on the principles of prosthetic replacement to a subspecialty with a foundation based on the principles of repair. This review will attempt to enumerate the contemporary techniques of mitral valve repair and a pathoanatomically directed approach with which to apply them by focusing on degenerative disease and associated complexities.
Keywords: cardiac anesthesia; cardiac surgery; intraoperative assessment; mitral valve; transesophageal echocardiography.