At the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland Annual Meeting, leading surgeons presented on various cardiac topics, including mitral annular calcification (MAC), mitral regurgitation (MR), reverse remodeling in ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR), and several rapid-fire case debates.
Dr. Gianluca Lucchese, a consultant cardiac surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, UK, and a senior clinical lecturer at King’s College London, delivered a presentation titled “The Big MAC: Contemporary Treatment Strategies and the Decision-Making Algorithm.” He explored MAC, discussing various MAC classification systems and the concepts of MAC respect vs MAC resect. Additionally, he examined hybrid transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)-in-MAC, comparing valve-in-mitral annular calcification (ViMAC) with hybrid TAVI-in-MAC, as well as strategies for managing MAC.
Next, Dr. Rakesh Uppal, a consultant cardiac surgeon at Barts Heart Center, Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the William Harvey Research Institute, and Chief Executive Officer of Barts Life Science, London, UK, spoke about “Selecting TEER or Surgery in Secondary Mitral Regurgitation: Evidence, Pathways, and Real-World Practice.” His discussion covered primary (organic) and secondary (functional) MR, as well as the differences between ventricular and atrial secondary MR in the 2025 guidelines. He also addressed the concepts of proportionate vs disproportionate MR for left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), the landscape of the 2018 and 2024 trials for TEER in secondary MR, the 2025 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) guidelines, and the safety vs efficacy paradox.
Then, Dr. Amedeo Chiribiri, Head of Cardiovascular Imaging at St Thomas’ Hospital and a researcher in Cardiovascular Imaging and Biomedical Engineering at King’s College of London in London, UK, presented on “Predictive MRI Markers of Reverse Remodeling in Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation.” He discussed IMR and clinical outcomes following myocardial infarction (MI), as well as the relationship between IMR and ventricular remodeling. His talk included insights into cardiac magnetic resonance (MRI) in IMR, focusing on geometrical and functional assessment, quantification, automatic diagnosis, and structural assessment of stress perfusion. He also addressed cardiac MR viability, referencing the REVIVED trial, and the evaluation of the papillary muscles.
Finally, Dr. Rob Smith, a consultant interventional cardiologist and structural heart lead at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals in London, UK, Dr. Alessia Rossi, a consultant cardiac surgeon at The Essex Cardiothoracic Center in Basildon, England, UK, and Dr. Rajdeep Bilkhu, a consultant cardiac surgeon at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, UK, concluded the session by presenting on “Mitral Valve Challenges: Interactive Rapid-Fire Case Debates.” In their presentations, they reviewed individual cases, covering patient histories, echocardiograms, surgical access, and their insights on the cases they presented.
All presentations concluded with Q&A sessions.
In March 2026, the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland held its annual conference, uniting experts in cardiothoracic surgery to explore the newest innovations in technology and surgical methods. Watch for more SCTS 2026 videos in the coming weeks.
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