of rate of reoperation are good and are close to those reported for PL prolapse. Finally, the gold standard in the treatment of AL prolapse should be to use the more comfortable technique for the surgeon associated with a prosthetic ring annuloplasty, not to resect the AL and to be guided by TEE. Conflict of interest There is no conflict of interest in this paper for the two authors. Acknowledgements We would like to thank doctor Mary Regan, anaesthesiolo- gist, for her editorial assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. References [1] Gillinov AM, Cosgrove DM, Blackstone EH, et al. Durability of mitral valve repair for degenerative disease. J Thorac Cardio- vasc Surg 1998;116:734—43. [2] Suri RM, Schaff HV, Dearani JA, et al. Survival advantage and improved durability of mitral repair for leaflet prolapse subsets in the current era. Ann Thorac Surg 2006;82:819—26. [3] Enriquez-Sarano M, Schaff HV, Orszulak TA, et al. Valve repair improves the outcome of surgery for mitral regurgitation. A multivariate analysis. Circulation 1995;91:1022—8. [4] Carpentier A. Cardiac valve surgery - the ‘‘French correction’’. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1983;86:323—37. [5] Mohty D, Orszulak TA, Schaff HV, et al. Very long-term survival and durability of mitral valve repair for mitral valve prolapse. Circulation 2001;104:I1—7. [6] Dreyfus G, Al Ayle N, Dubois C, et al. Long-term results of mitral valve repair: posterior papillary muscle repositioning versus chordal shortening. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 1999;16:81—7. [7] Gillinov AM, Cosgrove DM, Lytle BW, et al. Reoperation for failure of mitral valve repair. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1997;113:467—73 [discussion 73-5]. [8] Phillips MR, Daly RC, Schaff HV, et al. Repair of anterior leaflet mitral valve prolapse: chordal replacement versus chordal shortening. Ann Thorac Surg 2000;69:25—9. [9] Smedira NG, Selman R, Cosgrove DM, et al. Repair of anterior leaflet prolapse: chordal transfer is superior to chordal short- ening. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996;112:287—91 [discussion 91-2]. [10] Morimoto H, Tsuchiya K, Nakajima M, et al. Mitral valve repair for anterior leaflet prolapse: surgical techniques review and 16-year follow-up results. J Card Surg 2008;23:426—30. [11] Salvador L, Mirone S, Bianchini R, et al. A 20-year experience with mitral valve repair with artificial chordae in 608 patients. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2008;135:1280—7. [12] Fattouch K, Bianco G, Sbraga F, et al. Simple, safe and easy technique to ensure the correct length of artificial chordae in mitral valve repair. Ann Thorac Surg 2007;83:1902—3. [13] Gillinov AM, Banbury MK. Pre-measured artificial chordae for mitral valve repair. Ann Thorac Surg 2007;84:2127—9. [14] Maselli D, De Paulis R, Weltert L, et al. A new method for artificial chordae length ‘‘tuning’’ in mitral valve repair: preliminary experience. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2007;134:454—9. [15] Rankin JS, Orozco RE, Rodgers TL, et al. ‘‘Adjustable’’ artificial chordal replacement for repair of mitral valve prolapse. Ann Thorac Surg 2006;81:1526—8. [16] Kasegawa H, Shimokawa T, Shibazaki I, et al. Mitral valve repair for anterior leaflet prolapse with expanded polytetraflu- oroethylene sutures. Ann Thorac Surg 2006;81:1625—31. [17] Dreyfus GD, Bahrami T, Alayle N, et al. Repair of anterior leaflet prolapse by papillary muscle repositioning: a new sur- gical option. Ann Thorac Surg 2001;71:1464—70. [18] Dreyfus GD, Souza Neto O, Aubert S. Papillary muscle reposi- tioning for repair of anterior leaflet prolapse caused by chordal elongation. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2006;132:578—84. [19] Aubert S, Barreda T, Acar C, et al. Mitral valve repair for com- missural prolapse: surgical techniques and long-term results. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2005;28:443—7. [20] Alfieri O, Maisano F, De Bonis M, et al. The double-orifice tech- nique in mitral valve repair: a simple solution for complex problems. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;122:674—81. [21] De Bonis M, Lorusso R, Lapenna E, et al. Similar long- term results of mitral valve repair for anterior compared with posterior leaflet prolapse. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2006;131:364—70. [22] Silvestry FE, Rodriguez LL, Herrmann HC, et al. Echocardio- graphic guidance and assessment of percutaneous repair for mitral regurgitation with the Evalve MitraClip: lessons learned from EVEREST I. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2007;20:1131—40. [23] Gillinov AM, Cosgrove 3rd DM, Wahi S, et al. Is anterior leaflet repair always necessary in repair of bileaflet mitral valve pro- lapse? Ann Thorac Surg 1999;68:820—3 [discussion 24]. [24] Joudinaud TM, Kegel CL, Flecher EM, et al. The papillary muscles as shock absorbers of the mitral valve complex. An experimental study. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2007;32: 96—101. [25] Kegel CL, Joudinaud TM, Lim KH, et al. Dimensional ratios of normal mitral valve structures: a tool for determining the degree of geometric distortion in individual patients. J Heart Valve Dis 2007;16:260—6.