CHIRURGIE CARDIAQUE / CARDIAC SURGERY HOW TO DO IT : CLOSED MITRAL COMMISSUROTOMY

Introduction Closed mitral commissurotomy (CMC) for mitral stenosis has been performed since 1923 after the successful work of Cutler and Levin, followed by Souttar in 1925(1, 2). At our centre, we have been performing closed mitral commissurotomy since 1962. In the present era of percutaneous mitral balloon valvotomy (PMBV), we perform more than 100 CMC’s per year due to a large waiting list and decreased cost.Our current technique of CMC, modified over many years, is described.