When a 32-year-old woman from Kolkata began experiencing worsening breathlessness and frequent palpitations over the last two years, she never imagined the cause would be a rare congenital heart defect affecting less than one per cent of patients worldwide. Despite having undergone a hole-in-the-heart closure in 2022, her symptoms persisted, prompting her to seek specialised care at BM Birla Heart Hospital. Detailed cardiac evaluation revealed Ebstein anomaly, a complex condition causing severe leakage of the tricuspid valve and dilation of the right side of the heart. Given her young age and progressive symptoms, surgical intervention became essential—with the goal not just to treat the disease, but to preserve her quality of life.
The cardiac surgery team, led by Dr. Amanul Haque, Consultant Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, chose the advanced Cone Repair procedure, a highly specialised technique that reconstructs the patient's own tricuspid valve instead of replacing it with an artificial one. During the surgery, the abnormally positioned valve leaflets were carefully mobilised, reshaped into a cone-like structure, and reattached to the true valve annulus, restoring near-normal valve anatomy and function. This approach corrected the severe valve leakage while preserving the patient's natural tissue, significantly reducing the risk of future reoperations and avoiding long-term complications associated with artificial valves.
"The Cone Repair allows us to restore the valve almost anatomically while maintaining durability, as the patient's own valve tissue continues to function naturally over time. For young patients, this makes a critical difference to long-term outcomes," says Dr. Haque.
Following the surgery, the patient showed marked improvement in heart function and symptoms, with significantly reduced breathlessness and better exercise tolerance. She is now recovering well and looking forward to returning to an active, unrestricted life. The case underscores how advanced surgical expertise, combined with patient-centric decision-making, can transform outcomes even in rare and complex congenital heart conditions, reinforcing BM Birla Heart Hospital's commitment to delivering world-class cardiac care with a strong human touch.
