Mended Hearts Open Forum

My sibling had OHS and her LV and LA are enlarged, due to the severe mitral valve regurg. Are these permanent? Or will they shrink as the heart resolves now that valve is fixed? And if they DONT shrink, is it dangerous? The valve (root problem) is now fixed and the heart is otherwise healthy. He is also young (43)

it's hard to watch someone recover from such a major surgery with still this dilation of the 2 chambers looming 

This is a question for her cardiologist.  But a small amount of regurgitation is usually no concern.  After my CABG and Mitral replacement, 6 mo later my cardio echo showed mild regurgitation from the valve I just had replaced.  I read the results on my medical portal (My Chart) via the medical system I have here.  My wife also has similar access to medical history, Dr appt results, labs, etc, thru the medical system she uses, since her Dr works at a different facility.  It's all on line.

Then,  at my next cardiologist appt I asked my Dr about the regurgitation on the new valve and he said it was of no concern since it was considered mild.  However, an enlarged LV & LA are another matter.  Hopefully now that the heart is repaired it could resolve.  But ask the Doctor.  Mine responds to emails thru the medical portal so, if you're sibling is set up for that, it might be a faster option than waiting for the next office appointment.

I had Mitral Valve Repair surgery 11 years ago.  My left ventricle was enlarged and LA was severely enlarged going into surgery.  I had 4+ (severe) mitral regurgitation for 5 months prior to surgery which is inadvisably long.  My Atrium returned to normal size quickly and the ventricle did as well though maybe not as quickly.  Of course, you should discuss with your cardiologist but I've never been very impressed with the difficulty of extracting this kind of information from them.  Lots of variables there as well.  The permanence of these enlargements depends on several factors, such as how long they were enlarged going into surgery, and probably other factors as well, so your sibling's mileage may vary.  I urge your sibling to follow life-style recommendations from her medical team and stick with the exercise routine.  The risk associated with atrial enlargement that does not reverse-remodel is most likely increased risk of atrial fibrillation which is elevated as a consequence of OHS anyway.  That's probably the main risk, but not sure.  Keep an eye on things, ask questions, and focus on healthy living.  A high percentage of people with this surgery have great long-term outcomes!