I had a mitral valve repair done 5/17/99...severe regurgitation and enlarged lv and la. The surgery was considered successful, leaving me with only "trivial" leakage. (My enlarged left atrium and ventricle have both returned to normal size). I have spoken with others who have had repairs or replacements and, they too, have some minor leakage remaining. What implication does residual post surgical leakage have, and does this have any bearing on the longevity of the repair or replacement? Do some repairs result in absolutely no detectable leakage? Thank you for your consideration.